Are the effects of psychomotor stimulant drugs on hyperactive children really paradoxical?

1977 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 154-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Sahakian ◽  
T.W. Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Psychomotor Stimulant ◽  
Stimulant Drugs ◽  
Hyperactive Children

Letters to the Editor

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-482
Author(s):  
J. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Test ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Drug Trial ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Letters To The Editor ◽  
Stimulant Drug ◽  
Stimulant Drugs ◽  
Hyperactive Children ◽  
Initial Work ◽  
Conservative Bias

In their letter, McLaughlin and Tso have misinterpreted the purpose of the short-term diagnostic drug trial we have proposed (Pediatrics 61:21, 1978). We developed our laboratory test procedure to screen out potential adverse responders, in order to prevent their mistreatment with stimulant drugs. We feel that this conservative bias is necessary, since there has been general agreement since Bradley's (1939, 1950) initial work that not all behaviorally hyperactive children have a favorable response to stimulant drug.1,2

The Misuse of Statistics

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 586-587
Author(s):  
Dennis F. Hoeffler
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Recent Article ◽  
Probability Analysis ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Stimulant Drugs ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Hyperactive Children ◽  
Mathematical Analyses

The increased utilization of probability analysis in medical publications has been accompanied by recurrent examples of the misapplication of biostatistical technique. A recent article in Pediatrics is a case in point. The authors support their premise that stimulant drugs have an adverse effect on the growth of hyperactive children with sophisticated statistical evaluations. They have, however, violated some basic assumptions that underlie their mathematical analyses. The most evident error is the lack of randomness in the "treatment" groups.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SUPPRESSANT EFFECTS OF TWO STIMULANT DRUGS ON THE GROWTH OF HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 660-667
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Safer ◽  
Richard P. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Stimulant Medication ◽  
Growth Suppression ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Significant Suppression ◽  
Stimulant Drug ◽  
Stimulant Drugs ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Hyperactive Children ◽  
Regular Intake

The effect of the regular intake of stimulant medication for two or more years on growth in weight and height was evaluated for 63 hyperactive children, 29 of whom received dextroamphetamine, 20 of whom received methylphenidate, and 14 of whom received no medication because of parental objection. Major findings were: the long-term use of dextroamphetamine in hyperactive children causes a highly significant suppression of growth in weight and height; the long-term use of methylphenidate causes a less striking growth suppression only when daily doses over 20 mg are administered; tolerance develops to the weight suppressant effects of dextroamphetamine, but not to is inhibition of height growth; increasing the total degree of stimulant drug use over time generally increases the degree of growth suppression.

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