SAN DIEGO – Children with ADHD were effectively treated on 50% of their optimal stimulant dose by pairing placebo pills with their stimulant medication, Dr. Adrian Sandler reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
The technique, known as conditioned placebo dose reduction, could mark a new way to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other chronic conditions, said Dr. Sandler, medical director of the Olson Huff Center for Child Development at Mission Children's Hospital, Asheville, N.C.
He and his associates enrolled 137 children with ADHD aged 6–12 years.
The children were divided into 3 groups. Group 1's treatment was decreased from 100% of optimal stimulant dose plus placebo to 50% of stimulant dose plus placebo. Group 2's treatment decreased from 100% of stimulant to 50% of stimulant. Group 3 served as the control, which no reduction in stimulant treatment. Of the 137 children, 70 completed the dose reduction phase. Most children in group 1 remained stable or improved during dose reduction while most in group 2 deteriorated.
The investigators observed no differences in control of ADHD symptoms between groups 1 and 3, and both groups showed improved ADHD control compared with the children in group 2.
Treatment emergent side effects were lowest among children in group 1, while those in group 2 seemed to show an increase in side effects as dose reduction went on.
At the time of this meeting, only 22 children had completed the study's maintenance phase. But so far Dr. Sandler and his associates have detected no differences in ADHD control or in discontinuation rates between groups 1 and 3.
The reduction technique could mark a new way to treat ADHD and other chronic conditions. DR. SANDLER