Venlafaxine versus methylphenidate in pediatric outpatients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double‐blind comparison trial

Objective The present report aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of venlafaxine compared to methylphenidate in children and adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Methods This was a 6‐week, parallel group, randomized clinical trial. Thirty‐eight patients (27 boys and 11 girls) with a DSM‐IV‐TR diagnosis of ADHD were the study population of this trial. All study subjects were randomly assigned to receive treatment using capsules of venlafaxine at doses of 50–75 mg/day depending on weight (50 mg/day for <30 kg and 75 mg/day for >30 kg (group 1) or methylphenidate at a dose of 20–30 mg/day depending on weight (group 2) for a 6‐week double blind, randomized clinical trial. The principal measure of outcome was the Teacher and Parent Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale‐IV. Results No significant differences were observed between the two groups on the Parent and Teacher Rating Scale scores (df = 1; F  = 1.77; p  = 0.19 and df = 1; F  = 1.64; p  = 0.20, respectively). Side effects of headaches and insomnia were observed more frequently in the methylphenidate group. Conclusions The results suggest that venlafaxine may be useful for the treatment of ADHD. In addition, a tolerable side‐effect profile is one of the advantages of venlafaxine in the treatment of ADHD. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.