Effects of Pyridoxine on Improving Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms among Children under Ritalin Treatment

Background and Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychological disorder among children that might lead to disruption of daily activities. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of pyridoxine on the treatment and reduction of symptoms severity in children with ADHD under Ritalin treatment.  Materials and Methods: This clinical trial included a total of 50 children with ADHD in the age range of 5-12 years who were referred to Emam clinic of Children’s Neurology and Be’sat Hospital, Hamedan, Iran, and were selected using a convenience sampling approach. The participants were divided into two similar treatment groups. One group only received Ritalin as the treatment and the second group received Pyridoxine and Ritalin together. The change in the severity of the symptoms was analyzed using Conners Rating Scale. Results: The patients in the two treatment groups were identical in terms of age and gender. The mean score of disease severity in both groups reduced up to 23.92 and 32.12 units, respectively, compared to those before intervention (P<0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the severity of symptoms before and after intervention in both groups following the intervention (the mean scores of the severity of symptoms were obtained at 65.09 and 54.00, respectively) in children with ADHD (P=0.006). Conclusion: The addition of Pyridoxine tablets to the treatment diet of children in the age range of 5-12 years suffering from combined symptoms of ADHD led to further reduction of symptoms and an increase in the effectiveness of the treatment.