Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies

Abstract

Our findings suggest that methylphenidate may be associated with a number of serious adverse events as well as a large number of non-serious adverse events in children and adolescents, which often lead to withdrawal of methylphenidate. Our certainty in the evidence is very low, and accordingly, it is not possible to accurately estimate the actual risk of adverse events. It might be higher than reported here.Given the possible association between methylphenidate and the adverse events identified, it may be important to identify people who are most susceptible to adverse events. To do this we must undertake large-scale, high-quality RCTs, along with studies aimed at identifying responders and non-responders.

Methylphenidate in children with monogenic obesity due to LEPR or MC4R deficiency improves feeling of satiety and reduces BMI‐SDS—A case series

“…Low appetite, headaches, stomach ache, and insomnia are the most common side effects of MPH . Accordingly, the majority of the patients in this case series reported an increase in disordered sleep, nervousness, hyperactivity, impulsivity, tics, and headaches after 1 year of MPH use compared with baseline.…”

“…Figure 5depicts hypothesized differences in dopamine levels between individuals with normal weight, individuals affected by overweight/obesity, and individuals treated with MPH.Low appetite, headaches, stomach ache, and insomnia are the most common side effects of MPH 50. Accordingly, the majority of the patients in this case series reported an increase in disordered sleep, nervousness, hyperactivity, impulsivity, tics, and headaches after 1 year of MPH use compared with baseline.…”

The Jury Is Still Out on the Benefits and Harms of Methylphenidate for Children and Adolescents With Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…These figures are concerning considering how important harm measures are for informing evidence‐based practice . Therefore, we also conducted a systematic review on the adverse events of methylphenidate for ADHD in nonrandomized studies …”

“…Between 2012 and 2018, we conducted two Cochrane systematic reviews on methylphenidate for ADHD . This article explores the main findings in relation to evidence‐based practice and our current understanding of ADHD …”

Methylphenidate and stuttering

“…MPH has been suggested to be useful as a treatment for development stuttering, 5,6 whereas other authors have suggested that stuttering may be an adverse effect of MPH treatment. [7][8][9] In light of these contradictory data, we sought to investigate whether there is evidence of an increased risk of stuttering with MPH treatment in a large pharmacovigilance database, 10 using disproportionality analysis.…”