REF MISC
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Performing Lab:
Referral Laboratory
Patient Preparation:
Collect the peak level one to two hours after dosing.
Container Type:
Plain red top tube, green top (heparin) tube, or gray top (sodium fluoride) tube
Specimen Type:
Serum or plasma
Preferred Volume:
2 mL
Minimum Volume:
1.1 mL
Specimen Processing:
Separate the serum or plasma from the cells and transfer to a plastic transport tube.
Store and Transport:
Frozen
Stability:
Frozen - 6 months
Refrigerated - unstable
Room temperature - unstable
Unacceptable Condition:
Gel tubes are NOT acceptable and thawed specimens will be rejected.
CPT Codes:
80360
(If billing Medicare, use 80299)
Method:
Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS)
Notes:
To avoid delays in turn around time when requesting multiple tests on frozen samples, submit separate frozen specimens for each test requested.