Stimulant Meds Safe For Children With ADHD, Congenital Heart Disease

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and congenital heart disease can take stimulant medications without facing potential cardiovascular side effects, according to a recent study from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

In their study, the researchers found that there was no increased risk for death and there were no changes in blood pressure or heart rate, even with ADHD children and those with critical heart conditions, according to a news release.

The researchers found that ADHD patients who were treated with stimulant medication showed remarkable improvements in symptoms, which were measured by standardized rating scales.  

Dr. Pon Trairatvorakul from the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics division at Cincinnati Children's presented the study at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics in Las Vegas.

The researchers studied 44 children between age six and 18 who were seen in the Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute's Kindervelt Neurodevelopmental and Educational Clinic. These patients were compared to other patients with similar heart disease conditions who were not treated with any stimulants. The researchers then studied the effect of the stimulant medication on electrocardiograms (EKG's) which measure the heart's electrical activity.

"Children with congenital heart disease are at high risk for ADHD, but fears about cardiovascular side effects, including sudden death, limit the use of stimulant medications," said Julia Anixt, MD, who is a senior author of the study and a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's. "This study indicates that stimulants are both effective and safe when prescribed with appropriate monitoring and in collaboration with the patient's cardiologist."

In 2006, the U.S Food and Drug Administration made it mandatory for stimulant medication to have proper labeling and warning labels stating that they should not be used in children and adolescents who suffer from severe structural cardiac abnormalities, heart abnormalities and irregular heartbeats.

Stimulants are the ideal medications to treat ADHD symptoms, and patients and doctors must collaboratively evaluate the risks and prospects of the medication treatment choices for every individual patient, according to Dr. Anixt. 

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