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by John Koutas, MD The beneficial short-term effects of ADHD medication on symptoms of ADHD and associated problems have been demonstrated in numerous studies. Although ADHD symptoms often persist from childhood into adulthood, discontinuation of ADHD medication is common, especially in adolescence and early adulthood. In the present study, the authors used Swedish population-based data […]
Tags: adhd, criminal acts, criminality
Beginning in January, physicians will have the new option of a liquid long-acting methylphenidate treatment that requires only once-daily dosing. The medication, made by NextWave Pharmaceuticals (which will be sold to Pfizer), is called Quillivant XR and will be available at a 25mg/5ml (5mg/ml) concentration. The recommended starting dose for children 6 years old and […]
Tags: adhd, liquid methylphenidate, Quillivant
A proxy for the level of exposure to prenatal androgens is the length of the second finger digit relative to the length of the forth finger (although not all studies support this link). Lower ratios are generally associated with more male typical behaviors. A new study published in the journal Development and Psychopathology examines a […]
Tags: adhd, aggression, finger length, ODD, testoserone
A new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reports on the increasing use of antipsychotic medications in youth. The study analyzed nearly half a million medical visits over a 17 year span (1993 through 2009). Results showed that the number of medical visits that included an antipsychotic medication per 100 persons rose in children […]
Tags: adhd, antipsychotic, medications
How many times have you heard a psychiatric diagnosis questioned based on the possibility that the behaviors are JUST something else. You know the drill: “C’mon doc, are you sure this ADHD thing isn’t a fancy label for kids who are JUST (insert lazy, bad, spoiled, etc.)?” Another common one is “Can’t a kid JUST be […]
With school ending and summer vacation starting, many parents of children with ADHD wonder whether or not it makes sense to do a “drug holiday” until school resumes in the Fall. The Child Mind Institute recently provided some commentary on this issue for both parents and clinicians. The bottom line answer, as it is for […]
Tags: adhd, Drug holiday
Several recent studies have reported continued increases in the rates of both ADHD and autistic spectrum disorders. For Autism, a new study from the CDC found an overall rate of 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls). This rate is much higher than the 1 in 155 reported in […]
Tags: adhd, autism, increasing rate of autism, rising rates of autism
Question: So – does anyone use clonidine any more (in conjunction with stimulants for aggression or conduct problems)? I’ve seen a number of my patients ending up on Intuniv – is that better? Is it something I can prescribe? I have 2-3 boys, middle school aged, on stimulants who fit the criteria I used to […]
In October, the journal Pediatrics, based right here in Vermont, published updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) regarding the assessment and treatment of ADHD. Since its publication, what has clearly generated the most media discussion about these new guidelines is the inclusion of preschool children (age 4 and above) in the recommendations. […]
Tags: add, adhd, mental health, psychiatry
by John Koutras, MD The use of ADHD drugs was not associated with an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events in children and young adults. This was the overall finding of a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. ADHD medications are prescribed for more than 2.7 million children in the US […]
