Differential effects of methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine on the motor activity level of hyperactive children.
An acceleration-sensitive device was used to measure motor activity continuously through the day in 18 hyperactive boys in a day hospital program. The children received methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, or placebo daily after breakfast and lunch in an 11-week double-blind crossover trial. Differential effectiveness of the two drugs in lowering motor activity was found. Methylphenidate significantly lowered activity measurements in a morning structured classroom and in less structured activities in the afternoon. Dextroamphetamine effects on activity were similar, although they did not differ significantly from placebo effects between 11:00 AM and noon in our classroom setting. Methylphenidate produced a greater decrement in motor activity than did dextroamphetamine between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. There were no significant differences in activity level between drug doses within each drug phase across the dose ranges used (for methylphenidate 0.45 to 1.25 mg/kg given twice daily, and for dextroamphetamine 0.2 to 0.6 mg/kg given twice daily). Plasma drug concentrations did not correlate with decrements in activity for either drug.
Borcherding
B G
BG
Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Keysor
C S
CS
Cooper
T B
TB
Rapoport
J L
JL
D002648:Child; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*
D008774:Methylphenidate; D003913:Dextroamphetamine