Serious
Cardiovascular Events
Sudden Death and Pre-Existing Structural Cardiac
Abnormalities or Other Serious Heart Problems
Children
and Adolescents -
Sudden death has been reported in association with CNS stimulant treatment at
usual doses in children and adolescents with structural cardiac abnormalities
or other serious heart problems. Although some serious heart problems alone
carry an increased risk of sudden death, stimulant products generally should
not be used in children or adolescents with known serious structural cardiac
abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious heart rhythm abnormalities, or other
serious cardiac problems that may place them at increased vulnerability to the
sympathomimetic effects of a stimulant drug.
Adults - Sudden deaths, stroke, and
myocardial infarction have been reported in adults taking stimulant drugs at
usual doses for ADHD. Although the role of stimulants in these adult cases is
also unknown, adults have a greater likelihood than children of having serious
structural cardiac abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious heart rhythm
abnormalities, coronary artery disease, or other serious cardiac problems.
Adults with such abnormalities should also generally not be treated with
stimulant drugs.
Hypertension and Other Cardiovascular Conditions
Stimulant medications cause a modest
increase in average blood pressure (about 2 to 4 mmHg) and average heart rate
(about 3 to 6 bpm), and individuals may have larger increases. While the mean
changes alone would not be expected to have short-term consequences, all
patients should be monitored for larger changes in heart rate and blood
pressure. Caution is indicated in treating patients whose underlying medical
conditions might be compromised by increases in blood pressure or heart rate,
e.g., those with pre-existing hypertension, heart failure, recent myocardial
infarction, or ventricular arrhythmia.
Assessing
Cardiovascular Status in Patients being Treated with Stimulant Medications
Children, adolescents, or adults who
are being considered for treatment with stimulant medications should have a
careful history (including assessment for a family history of sudden death or
ventricular arrhythmia) and physical exam to assess for the presence of cardiac
disease, and should receive further cardiac evaluation if findings suggest such
disease (e.g., electrocardiogram and echocardiogram). Patients who develop
symptoms such as exertional chest pain, unexplained syncope, or other symptoms
suggestive of cardiac disease during stimulant treatment should undergo a
prompt cardiac evaluation.
Psychiatric Adverse Events
Pre-Existing
Psychosis - Administration
of stimulants may exacerbate symptoms of behavior disturbance and thought
disorder in patients with a pre-existing psychotic disorder.
Bipolar
Illness - Particular
care should be taken in using stimulants to treat ADHD in patients with
comorbid bipolar disorder because of concern for possible induction of a
mixed/manic episode in such patients. Prior to initiating treatment with a
stimulant, patients with comorbid depressive symptoms should be adequately
screened to determine if they are at risk for bipolar disorder; such screening
should include a detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of
suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression.
Emergence
of New Psychotic or Manic Symptoms - Treatment
emergent psychotic or manic symptoms, e.g., hallucinations, delusional
thinking, or mania in children and adolescents without a prior history of
psychotic illness or mania can be caused by stimulants at usual doses. If such
symptoms occur, consideration should be given to a possible causal role of the
stimulant, and discontinuation of treatment may be appropriate. In a pooled
analysis of multiple short-term, placebo-controlled studies, such symptoms
occurred in about 0.1% (4 patients with events out of 3482 exposed to
methylphenidate or amphetamine for several weeks at usual doses) of
stimulant-treated patients compared to 0 in placebo-treated patients.
Aggression
- Aggressive behavior
or hostility is often observed in children and adolescents with ADHD, and has
been reported in clinical trials and the postmarketing experience of some
medications indicated for the treatment of ADHD. Although there is no
systematic evidence that stimulants cause aggressive behavior or hostility,
patients beginning treatment for ADHD should be monitored for the appearance of
or worsening of aggressive behavior or hostility.
Seizures
There is some clinical evidence that
stimulants may lower the convulsive threshold in patients with prior history of
seizures, in patients with prior EEG abnormalities in absence of seizures, and,
very rarely, in patients without a history of seizures and no prior EEG
evidence of seizures. In the presence of seizures, the drug should be
discontinued.
Priapism
Prolonged and painful erections, sometimes requiring surgical intervention, have been reported with methylphenidate products in both pediatric and adult patients. Priapism was not reported with drug initiation but developed after some time on the drug, often subsequent to an increase in dose. Priapism has also appeared during a period of drug withdrawal (drug holidays or discontinuation). Patients who develop abnormally sustained or frequent and painful erections should seek immediate medical attention.
Peripheral Vasculopathy, Including Raynaud’s Phenomenon Stimulants, including methylphenidate, used to treat ADHD are associated with peripheral
vasculopathy, including Raynaud’s phenomenon. Signs and symptoms are usually
intermittent and mild; however, very rare sequelae include digital ulceration
and/or soft tissue breakdown. Effects of peripheral vasculopathy, including
Raynaud’s phenomenon, were observed in post-marketing reports at different
times and at therapeutic doses in all age groups throughout the course of
treatment. Signs and symptoms generally improve after reduction in dose or
discontinuation of drug. Careful observation for digital changes is necessary
during treatment with ADHD stimulants. Further clinical evaluation (e.g.,
rheumatology referral) may be appropriate for certain patients.
Long-Term Suppression of Growth
Careful
follow-up of weight and height in children ages 7 to 10 years who were
randomized to either methylphenidate or non-medication treatment groups over 14
months, as well as in naturalistic subgroups of newly methylphenidate-treated
and non-medication treated children over 36 months (to the ages of 10 to 13
years), suggests that consistently medicated children (i.e., treatment for 7
days per week throughout the year) have a temporary slowing in growth rate (on
average, a total of about 2 cm less growth in height and 2.7 kg less growth in
weight over 3 years), without evidence of growth rebound during this period of
development.
Published data are inadequate
to determine whether chronic use of amphetamines may cause a similar
suppression of growth, however, it is anticipated that they likely have this
effect as well. Therefore, growth should be monitored during treatment with
stimulants, and patients who are not growing or gaining height or weight as
expected may need to have their treatment interrupted.
Visual Disturbance
Difficulties
with accommodation and blurring of vision have been reported with stimulant
treatment.
USE IN CHILDREN LESS THAN SIX YEARS OF AGE
Methylphenidate hydrochloride oral
solution should not be used in children under six years, since safety and efficacy
in this age group have not been established.