title: Lack of effect of methylphenidate on serum growth hormone (GH), GH-binding protein, and insulin-like growth factor I.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the growth hormone (GH) axis in methylphenidate (MPH)-treated and untreated boys with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), by evaluating serum GH, GH-binding protein (GHBP) activity, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels as compared to age-matched normal controls. Blood samples were taken from 42 boys (aged 6-16 years) diagnosed as having ADHD according to DSM-III-R criteria and confirmed by using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for school-age children (K[Kiddle]-SADS). A total of 21 patients were treated with MPH (5-20 mg/day; 0.15-0.77 mg/kg/day), on a drug holiday protocol, for 1-36 months, and 21 were drug naive. A total of 46 age-matched normal boys at height and weight within normal range served as controls. No significant differences were detected between the MPH-treated ADHD children, the untreated ADHD children, and the control children on fasting serum GH levels, GHBP activity, or IGF-I levels. Active treatment with MPH, in ADHD children on a drug holiday protocol, does not cause changes in GH axis as manifested by normal values of GH, GHBP, and IGF-I.
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv Community Mental Health Center, Israel.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toren
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silbergeld
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eldar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laor
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolmer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koren
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inbar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eshet
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weizman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008774:Methylphenidate; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone; C051815:somatotropin-binding protein