OBJECTIVE To compare the safety and efficacy of bupropion with methylphenidate in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS In a 6-week randomized double-blind study, 44 patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD were randomly assigned to receive bupropion 100-150 mg/day (100 mg/day for <30 kg and 150 mg/day for >30 kg) or methylphenidate 20-30 mg...

The indirect catecholamine agonist methylphenidate (Ritalin) is the drug treatment of choice in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), one of the most common behavioral disorders of childhood (DSM-IV), although symptoms may persist into adulthood. Methylphenidate can enhance cognitive performance in adults and children diagnosed with AD/HD (Kempton et al., 1999; Riordan et al., 1999)...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of methylphenidate, a psychostimulant, on quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) during the continuous performance test (CPT) in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The QEEG was obtained from 20 boys with ADHD. The amplitudes of 4 bands (alpha, beta, delta, and theta) in the QEEG, as well as the theta /beta rati...

A 31-year-old woman with narcolepsy had used methylphenidate regularly before she became pregnant. During pregnancy and the first months postpartum, the drug was discontinued. When she started work after her maternity leave, the need for methylphenidate reappeared. She had a desire to continue breast-feeding, and the question was thus raised as to whether the use of methylphenidate was compatib...

The reinforcing effects of cocaine and methylphenidate have been linked to their ability to block dopamine transporters (DAT). Using positron emission tomography (PET), we previously showed that intravenous cocaine induced a significant level of DAT blockade, which was associated with the intensity for self-reports of "high" in cocaine abusers. In this study, we measured DAT occupancies after i...

BACKGROUND The desired (therapeutic) and undesired (side) effects of methylphenidate might have underlying correlations. The aim of this study was to explore the strength and the possible sources of these correlations. METHODS One hundred and fifty-seven children with ADHD (6-12 years) were administered placebo and methylphenidate (0.5 mg/kg in a divided b.i.d. dose), each for a one-week peri...

Several amphetamine-like appetite suppressants are known to have cardiovascular adverse effects, in particular pulmonary arterial hypertension and cardiac valve disease. Is this also the case with methylphenidate, an amphetamine-like psychostimulant used in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (especially in children) and also in narcolepsy? Cases of pulmonary hypertension and heart valve d...

Despite a growing interest in the use of methylphenidate (Ritalin) to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, prevalence data has been scarce in Canada. A probability school survey conducted in 1997 among Ontario students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 is used to collect data on such use. Overall, 3.4% of students (5.3% of males, 1.7% of females) used methylphenidate in the previous year. R...

QUESTION My patient has narcolepsy and is currently breastfeeding her 3-month-old infant. Lately she has had difficulties adjusting to caring for her baby, especially staying alert with the demands of breastfeeding. If she starts taking methylphenidate again, should I advise her to switch to formula? ANSWER Methylphenidate is excreted in breast milk only in small amounts, and to date there ha...

This study investigated the effect of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on the selective attention of hyperactive children designated as favorable or adverse responders to stimulant medication. Using a type II incidental learning paradigm, it was found that children in the drug condition recalled more central and less incidental stimuli than those children in the placebo condition. While no differentia...