Brief report of efficacy and side effect profile of crossing over to modified-release capsules of methylphenidate in ADHD patients receiving other treatments: case series

OBJECTIVES: Stimulants are recommended as the first-line pharmacotherapy in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most used stimulant. Medikinet Retard has modified-release capsules of MPH (MRC-MPH). In this study, we aimed to report observations on a sample of outpatients, who had been previously treated with other agents, but switched to MRC-MPH treatment. These observations focus on the treatment course, efficacy, side effects, and switching reasons. METHODS: We included 20 out of the 163 patients with ADHD, who were previously treated with other medications, and switched to MRC-MPH. Turgay DSM-IV Based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening as diagnosing tool and Rating Scale, Barkley's Stimulants Side Effects Rating Scale for screening side effects and Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity and -Improvement were administered. RESULTS: Patients' ages ranged between 9 and 17 years. Mean Clinical Global Impression ScaleSeverity (CGI-S) score before the MRC-MPH treatment was 3.2, whereas after treatment it was 3.15. CGI-S scores were not significantly different (p =.593). Loss of appetite (n = 4, 20%) and drowsiness (n = 4, 20%) were the most common adverse events during the MRC-MPH treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe significant difference between other treatment options and MRC-MPH with respect to efficacy. In terms of side effect profile, Osmotic Release Oral System-MPH was observed to be more problematic than immediate-release MPH and MRCMPH formulations, while these two regimens did not differ significantly.