tudy: Giving ADHD drugs to preschoolers ok
globalnational.com
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
BALTIMORE — A new study by the top medical university in the U.S. has concluded that carefully measured, low doses of methylphenidate, the key ingredient in drugs used to treat attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, is safe and effective for treating behavioural problems in preschoolers -- a departure from FDA regulations preventing its prescription to children younger than six.
Researchers warned, however, that the three- to five-year-olds tested appeared more sensitive (than older children with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder) to the drug's side effects, which include irritability, insomnia and weight loss, and require closer monitoring.
Researchers also found that children who took the drug also experienced somewhat slower growth rates: On average, children who were administered methylphenidate grew half-an-inch per year less than expected and gained 2.9 pounds less than expected.
Those involved in the study, which involved five other medical centres, noted that pediatricians weighed the risks of stunted growth rates against the benefits of having the treatment. The study emphasized that children on long-term treatment with methylphenidate should be monitored carefully several times a year to assess growth changes over time.
Methylphenidate is the most widely prescribed drug for the treatment of ADHD in children but is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children younger than six.
Results of the federally funded research, the first large-scale, long-term study of the safety and value of the drug in younger children, will appear in a special section of the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
"These results give us the missing links in the decision to prescribe a drug that's been widely used off-label in preschool-age children," said Dr. Mark Riddle, director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Children's Center and a co-author on the study, which followed 303 children between the ages of 3 and 5 over 70 weeks.
"We were able to confirm what many already suspected-that even lower doses in preschoolers can safely achieve the desired therapeutic effect and indeed that low doses are often optimal."
About 11 per cent of those enrolled in the study experienced side effects severe enough to drop out. These included weight loss, anxiety, skin picking, mood disturbances and insomnia.
ADHD is characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including inability to concentrate, being easily distracted, fidgeting and restlessness, among others. Left untreated, ADHD can interfere with academic progress and social and emotional development.
More than 4.4 million children in the United States have ADHD, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About two per cent of preschool-aged children are believed to have ADHD.
In Canada, the condition affects about four per cent of the population, or roughly 1.3 million Canadians.
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