| Table 2 Prescribing Information for Methylphenidate (Ritalin ®) | ||
| Optimum Dosage 0.6 mg/kg Usual maximum 60 mg/day |
Drug Interactions Diphenylhydantoin Phenobarbital Primidone Tricyclic antidepressants Monoamine oxidase inhibitors Diazepam Anticholinergics |
|
| Minor Short-Term Transient Side-Effects Anorexia (over 20 mg/day) Weight loss (over 20 mg/day) Abdominal pain (give just before meals)a Insomnia Headache a Urticaria a Minor tachycardia (8 beats/min) Minor increase in blood pressure (6 mm) |
||
| Contra-indications Anxiety, tension, agitation Thyrotoxicosis Tachyarrhythmias Presence of motor tics Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome Family history of Tourette’s |
||
| Major Side-Effects Growth suppression (not significant); insure drug holidays Tics (responds to haloperidol) Lowering of seizure thresholdb Tactile hallucinationsa, b Severe regressiona, b |
Drug Withdrawal Effects Depression Over-activity |
|
| Concurrent Treatment and Alternatives Behaviour modification Cognitive therapy Remedial education Environmental manipulation |
||
| a. Rare. b. Reversible if medication is discontinued. |
||
This post has been viewed 195 times.
Related posts:
- Psychotropic Drugs in Children: Dose and Administration In general, prescription should begin at the lowest dosage. Give an adequate trial at each succeeding dosage level. Recognize that stimulants show an effect within hours, tranquilizers within days, and antidepressants sometimes not for weeks. Therapeutic blood levels for some psychotropic drugs may...
- Psychotropic Drugs in Children: Indications The physician should choose the one most appropriate medication. Current indications for the use of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents can be summarized briefly (Table l). The listing in Table 1 is by no means an exhaustive review of this rapidly emerging...
- Psychotropic Drugs in Children: Imipramine (Tofranil) Table 3. Prescribing Information for Imipramine (Tofranil ®) Optimum Dosage Usual maximum 5 mg/kg/day Enuresis: 0-6 yr — not indicated 6-12 yr — up to 50 mg/day 12+ — up to 75 mg/day ADD with anxiety or depression: note maximum dose Depression: some...
- Psychotropic Drugs in Children: Thioridazine (Mellaril) Table 4 Prescribing Information for Thioridazine (Mellaril ®) Optimum Dosage 1-3 mg/kg/day 20-200 mg/day Not recommended under 2 years of age Starting dose 10-25 mg b.i.d. Drug Interactions CNS depressants Antacids decrease absorption Anticholinergics Anticonvulsants increase risk of seizures Epinephrine increases hypotension Guanethidine...
- Psychotropic Drugs in Children: Assessment Psychotropic drugs should be neither the first choice nor the last choice in treatment for the behavioural and emotional disorders in children. The physician needs to keep in mind that the child is a developing individual, whose subjective symptoms may not indicate mental...