Father of a child with ADHD writes about ADHD news, information, and current ADD/ADHD research.

New British Ritalin Usage Advice

LONDON (AFP) — Parents should be taught how to cope with hyperactive youngsters and Ritalin should only be prescribed as a last resort and never given to the under-fives, a health watchdog said Wednesday.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued new guidelines on how to cope with unruly youngsters suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The disorder affects 365,000 children in Britain, and youngsters with ADHD are easily distracted, forgetful and have difficulty keeping still.

Doctors have prescribed Ritalin — which can cause insomnia, weight loss, nausea and an erratic heartbeat — to 37,000 children, but NICE says parents should instead be taught how to create a structured home environment, encourage attentiveness and deal properly with misbehaviour.

NICE — which examines the cost-effectiveness of particular treatments by the NHS — said drugs still remain the first option for children over five with severe ADHD, but only as part of a broad treatment plan.

“Quite commonly, people tend to revert to offering methylphenidate or atomoxetene…because the child has got what appears to be ADHD and that’s what’s available,” said Tim Kendall — the joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health which assisted NICE in framing the new guidelines.

“Its easier to prescribe a drug when other options like parent training programmes are not available,” he added.

The ADHD charity ADDISS questioned the new guidelines.

“Parenting programmes are extremely important, but they need to be specific for ADHD. The ones that NICE are recommending were designed for the parents of children with conduct disorder, which is completely different from ADHD,” said ADDISS chief executive Andrea Bilbow.

Focalin XR Approved by FDA for Treatment of ADHD

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Focalin XR(TM) (dexmethylphenidate HCl) extended-release capsules for the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults, adolescents and children.

“Focalin XR provides a new treatment option for adults, adolescents and children to address the many difficult symptoms of ADHD,” said Thomas Spencer,M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Assistant Director of the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Focalin XR provides patients with a treatment that starts working quickly to alleviate symptoms with the advantage of a once-daily dose.”
“We are pleased to introduce Focalin XR as a valuable treatment to help adults, adolescents and children effectively manage their symptoms of ADHD,” said Paulo Costa, head of Pharma Americas and CEO, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. “Novartis has been a leader in helping ADHD patients since we first introduced Ritalin(R) in the 1960s. The addition of Focalin XR further emphasizes this commitment as it provides a new treatment option to address the many difficult symptoms of ADHD.”

Focalin XR was generally well tolerated. There were no significant changes in patient weight or vital signs, such as sitting pulse or sitting blood pressure, in adults or children. The most common side effects in adults and children include decreased appetite, headache, dyspepsia, anxiety, insomnia, feeling jittery and anorexia.
The approval of Focalin XR for the treatment of ADHD was based on efficacy and safety data from clinical trials involving approximately 320 adults, adolescents and children diagnosed with ADHD. Read more »