Short-term cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate and Adderall

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the cardiovascu lar effects of Adderall (R) (ADL) in a clinic-based group of youths with at tention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ranging in age from 4 to 17 years. M ethod: One hundred thirty-seven patients were treated with either methylphe nidate (MPH) or ADL. Youths prescribed MPH were given medication twice dail y, and youths treated with ADL received medication once daily. Patients wer e evaluated under five conditions: baseline, placebo, 5 mg/dose, 10 mg/dose , or 15 mg/dose. Resting pulse, diastolic blood pressure, and systolic bloo d pressure were examined after 1 week at each treatment condition. Changes from baseline on these parameters were examined. Results: The short-term ca rdiovascular effects of both ADL and MPH were modest. No patients experienc ed any clinically significant change in these cardiovascular measures durin g the course of this brief trial. Conclusion: Since the short-term cardiova scular effects of ADL appear minimal, specific cardiovascular monitoring du ring short-term ADL treatment at doses of 15 mg/day or less does not appear to be indicated. In addition, under similar conditions, using similar meth ods, both medication treatments led to changes in blood pressure and pulse that were clinically insignificant.