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A one year trial of methylphenidate in the treatment of ADHD.

Author(s): Wender PH, Reimherr FW, Marchant BK, Sanford ME, Czajkowski LA, Tomb DA.

Affiliation(s): Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Publication date & source: 2011, J Atten Disord. , 15(1):36-45

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of long-term methylphenidate treatment on symptom severity and social adjustment in adult ADHD. METHOD: Adults (n = 116) meeting operational diagnostic criteria for ADHD (the "Utah Criteria") entered a randomized double-blind crossover trial of methylphenidate and placebo. Participants who improved on immediate-release methylphenidate entered a 12-month, open-label trial. Outcomes were assessed using the Wender-Reimherr Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (WRAADDS), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I), global assessment of functioning (GAF), and the Weissman Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). RESULTS: In the double-blind trial more patients improved (50% reduction of symptoms) receiving methylphenidate (74%) than placebo (21%, p = .001). During the open-label trial, symptom severity decreased 80% from baseline, and the WSAS decreased >50% in all subscales. The average GAF improved significantly (p < .0001). CONCLUSION: ADHD adults, who responded to methylphenidate in a short-tem, placebo-controlled trial, responded to long-term treatment with marked improvements in ADHD symptoms and psychosocial functioning.

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