title: To sleep or not to sleep: a systematic review of the literature of pharmacological treatments of insomnia in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This systematic review assessed current evidence on sleep medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients, to establish appropriate guidance for clinicians faced with prescribing such medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five articles (based on four pharmacological compounds) out of a total 337 were identified as evidence to guide pharmacological treatment of ADHD-related sleep disorders. Data regarding participant characteristics, measures of ADHD diagnosis, measures of sleep, and outcome data were extracted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Zolpidem and L-theanine both displayed a poor response in reducing sleep latency and increasing total sleep time, however L-theanine did produce an increase in sleep efficiency. Zolpidem produced high levels of side effects, leading to the largest dropout rate of all five studies. Clonidine reduced insomnia; and melatonin also exhibited a positive response, with reduced sleep latency, higher total sleep time, and higher sleep efficiency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a relative paucity of evidence for the pharmacological treatment of ADHD-related sleep disorders; therefore, further research should be conducted to replicate these findings and obtain reliable results.
authors.affiliation: 1 Cognition, Schizophrenia, & Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychosis Studies, the Institute of Psychiatry , King's College, London, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Derek K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Tracy
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giaroli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D003000:Clonidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005971:Glutamates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D011725:Pyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077334:Zolpidem
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D011725:Pyridines; D000077334:Zolpidem; C026166:theanine; D003000:Clonidine