Effects of ADHD drug last into after-school hours

The effectiveness of Vyvanse for treating attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-aged children is maintained for a good 13 hours, results of a study indicate.

Vyvanse is also known by its generic name, lisdexamfetamine.

“The symptoms of ADHD may extend beyond the school day and continue into after-school activities and family interactions,” Dr. Sharon B. Wigal and colleagues point out in their report. “This trial is the first to demonstrate duration of efficacy up to 13 hours post-dose compared with placebo for an approved oral ADHD stimulant medication and may provide an important treatment option for prolonged ADHD symptom control.”

Wigal, from the University of California, Irvine and colleagues studied 117 children ages 6 to 12 years with ADHD. On a random basis, the children took the drug or a look-alike placebo pill for a week, and then crossed over to the other pill for another week. A total of 111 children completed the study.

The results of the study, published by the medical journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, showed that lisdexamfetamine was significantly better than placebo at controlling ADHD symptoms at each time point from 1.5 hours to 13 hours after dosing, as measured by standard tests.

Lisdexamfetamine was generally well tolerated, “resulting in typical stimulant adverse events,” Wigal and colleagues report. The most common adverse effects were decreased appetite, insomnia, headache, irritability, upper abdominal pain and mood swings.

The study was funded by Britain’s Shire Plc, maker of Vyvanse.

SOURCE: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, online June 9, 2009.