new adhd drugs
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
By Karla Gale
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two new formulations of drugs traditionally used
to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), methylphenidate
and d-amphetamine, last longer and have less potential for abuse, according
to presentations at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in
San Diego.
"Daytrana and Vyvanse are new options that address the limitations of
medications previously available to treat ADHD," Dr. Robert L. Findling,
from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, told Reuters Health.
Findling presented his teams' research findings on the drugs, both marketed
by Shire US Inc., and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Daytrana delivers methylphenidate through a skin patch with the dosage
controlled by the patch size and by the duration of wear. "One advantage of
the patch, first and foremost, is its flexibility," Findling said.
"Kids have no difficulty using the patch," he added, and it has been
formulated so it can't be re-used. "That way, they can't stick it on a buddy
when they're horsing around, he added.
Findling's team compared the patch with oral methylphenidate and placebo in
270 patients ages 6 to 12 years old. The study included a 5-week initial
treatment phase, followed by a 2-week maintenance phase, and a 30-day
follow-up period.
Using an ADHD rating scale, scores with both forms of the drug improved ADHD
symptoms compared with placebo; and both were equally effective, according
to the investigators.
Findling and associates also presented the trial results for Vyvanse
(lisdexamfetamine dimesylate), a drug associated with d-amphetamine. It
offers the advantage of extended duration consistently delivered throughout
the day, with a reduced potential for abuse, overdose toxicity and drug
tampering, the investigators reported.
They investigated the long-term efficacy, safety, and tolerability in
patients between 6 and 12 years old. The optimum dose was 30 to 70
milligrams per day.
At the end of the 12-month trial, treatment resulted in a 60-percent
improvement in ADHD scores. Using another rating scale, 95 percent of
subjects were considered "much improved" or "very much improved" at 12
months.
For both drugs, adverse effects were mostly mild-to-moderate, similar to
those of the parent drugs, d-amphetamine and methylphenidate, the presenters
noted.
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If my luck holds, my 7 year old daughter will be in the 2nd trial phase of Vyvanse. I've read some extremely good things about it...not the least being it'll last 10-14 hours! I'm hopefully going to find out next week if she can get in. The FDA has already approved the 30, 50 and 70 mg doses, so now the trial is for the 20, 40 and 60 mg doses. I'm crossing everything on my body hoping she gets in!
Good luck. Do you know if one of the benefits to this med is lower incidence of side effects? I know the big thing is the lower incidence of abuse, but what about side effects, any idea? The side effects are pretty much the same as for Adderall. This is a quote from the study forms I have: "Subjects who received Vyvanse(TM) most often reported the following side effects: upper belly pain; decreased appetite; dizziness; dry mouth; irritability; trouble sleeping; vomiting; nausea; weight loss". So pretty much, the exact same side effects of all of these ADHD drugs.
I went to a roundtable discussion for parents sponsored by Shire 2 weeks ago and they did introduce the information about this new drug to us. I was extremely excited to hear about it. My kids are 9 and 7 (the one with ADHD) and so the possibility of it not being used as a drug by an addict wasn't as much concern to me (at THIS point in time) as being told that the drug stayed in the system longer and therefore could result in better behaviour after school for homework and extracuricular activities. Lots of people give their children short acting medication after school to get them through till bedtime (I personally don't but probably could) and this drug would possibly help alleviate that extra dose.
And this drug is absorbed in the "gut" as they said, not the liver. So there were a few parents there who were really up on their medical knowledge of the drugs their kids take, how it is absorbed, and were very encouraged to hear this. I didn't really understand how that worked, but this sounded good to me, too.
Wow sounds great. My daughter suffers mostly from increases anxiety and tics on stimulants, Ill be curious to see the neurological side effects if any.
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