Preschoolers With ADHD May Benefit From Stimulants[ 12-20-06 ]
Children are not just little adults when it comes to medication, so a new study of a psychostimulant in children under age 6 offers both hope and caution.
Results from the Preschool ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) indicate that children aged 3 to 5.5 years with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear to benefit from low doses of methylphenidate. Tolerability was lower than expected, however, as 11 percent of patients discontinued use, following parental reports of adverse effects.
Food and Drug Administration labeling states that methylphenidate should not be used in children under the age of 6, but the psychostimulant has become the most commonly used drug for children that age with ADHD, even though the safety and efficacy of the drug in preschoolers had not been tested until recently, wrote the researchers in the November Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
"This study demonstrates that medication can be a safe and effective component of treatment for preschool children with ADHD," commented David Fassler, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and an APA trustee-at-large, in an interview. "However, the results also indicate that very young children may be more likely to experience side effects, at least on a short-term basis."
