Loading...
Medication effects depend on the patient’s treatment adherence, but ascertaining this can be complex. These researchers compared verbal (parental reports) and physiological adherence (saliva levels of methylphenidate [MPH]) in 254 children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 7 to 10 years, who had been assigned to medication or to medication plus behavioral therapy in a large multisite study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Medication was to be taken three times a day. During 14 months, clinicians saw the children monthly and obtained saliva samples at four visits.
More than 24% of saliva samples were negative for MPH. About 54% of children evidenced physiological adherence to MPH dosing at every measurement time point, and 25% were …