Ritalin Treats Tics
Feb. 26 -- The lead author of a new study helps explain his recent research on children with tics and ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is probably the most common medical condition that challenges children's success in school.
The disorder is characterized by impaired attention and concentration, impulsive behavior, easy distractibility and hyperactivity.
While it is well-known that ADHD tends to respond to a medication known as Ritalin (methylphenidate), doctors have believed for decades that Ritalin should not be prescribed for children who have ADHD in combination with tics, since the drug might worsen this condition.
The evidence to support this idea, however, has been unproven.
Tics Are Common
Tics are involuntary twitches, such as eye blinking, head jerking, facial grimacing, or involuntary noises, such as throat clearing, grunting or sniffing.
Children who have multiple and chronic tics are diagnosed as having Tourette's syndrome.
It is quite common for children to have both ADHD and tics, leaving doctors in a difficult position regarding how to treat such patients.
Furthermore, the most commonly used alternative to Ritalin, clonidine, had not yet been proven to be effective.
Surprising Study Results
The Tourette's Syndrome Study Group, a collaborative research group involving 12 medical centers in the U.S., studied the effects of Ritalin and clonidine on 136 children who had both ADHD and tics.
The study, whose results are being reported in today's edition of the medical journal Neurology, used methods to prevent bias, including an inactive placebo pill and a "double-blind" design whereby neither the child nor the evaluators knew which medicine was being given.
The researchers found that, contrary to earlier beliefs, Ritalin did not worsen tics.
In addition, both Ritalin and clonidine were highly effective in improving the symptoms of ADHD.
Ritalin seemed to be most helpful for inattention and hyperactivity, while clonidine did particularly well for impulsivity and hyperactivity.
