Which Medication Is Better for Preschool Children with ADHD?

In children aged <6 years with ADHD, stimulants were associated with greater clinical improvement but greater adverse effects than α₂-adrenergic agonists.

The α₂-adrenergic agonist medications as alternatives to stimulants appear to be gaining popularity in clinicians treating young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but data on efficacy are limited. In a retrospective review of records from the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network, researchers assessed clinical outcomes at the end of the first treatment interval in 497 children given α₂-adrenergic agonists or stimulant therapy for ADHD (median age, 62 months).

Behavioral therapy was prescribed to 62% of children before medications were initiated. At the end of the first interval (a median of about 133 days), ADHD symptoms were graded “very much improved” in 38% of children given stimulants versus 25…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

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Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

Which Medication Is Better for Preschool Children with ADHD?

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Reviewing Author