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 structural heart problems alone may carry an
increased risk of sudden death, stimulant products generally should not be used
in children or adolescents with known 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 (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).
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 (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).
Hypertension and Other Cardiovascular Conditions
Stimulant medications cause a modes increase in average blood pressure 9about 2 to 4 mmHg) and average heart rate (about 3 to 6 bpm) [see ADVERSE REACTIONS], 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 (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).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- Admiistration of stimulants may exacerbate symptoms of behavior disturbance and thought disorder in patients with pre-existing psychotic disorder.
Bipolar Illness- Particular care should be taken i using stimulants to treat ADHD patients with comorbid comorbid bipolar
disorder because of concern for possible induction of 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 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.
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 will likely have this effect as
well. Therefore, growth should be monitored during treatment with stimulants,
and patients who are not growing or gaining weight as expected may need to have
their treatment interrupted.
Seizures
There is some clinical evidence that stimulants may lower the convulsive threshold in patients with prior history of seizure, 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.
Visual Disturbance
Difficulties with accommodation and blurring of vision have been reported with stimulant treatment.