ADHD Help In A Patch
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, already know they're different. Going to the nurse's office at school to get their medicine lets everybody else know, too. But there's a new way to treat adhd that ends those trips to the nurse's office and questions from classmates.
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DAVID GARCIA IS A TYPICAL EIGHT-YEAR-OLD. HE ENJOYS PLAYING IN THE BACK YARD WITH HIS PARENTS MARTIN AND ROCIO.
AND HE HAS THE USUAL DOCTOR CHECK-UPS. BUT HIS VISITS WITH DOCTOR DAVID FEIFEL ARE DIFFERENT.
DAVID HAS ADHD AND GETS HIS MEDICATION THROUGH A SKIN PATCH HIDDEN UNDERNEATH HIS CLOTHES.
David Feifel, M.D., Ph.D.
Neuropsychiatrist
University of California, San Diego
San Diego, CA
"It is essentially the same chemical that is in Ritalin."
DOCTOR FEIFEL SAYS IT MAY BE THE SAME CHEMICAL BUT THE PATCH SEEMS TO HAVE A BIG ADVANTAGE OVER PILLS.
David Feifel, M.D., Ph.D.
"Some of the side effects that we think about with Ritalin are due to, or at least contributed to, by the fact that it is a roller-coaster effect."
WITH A PILL, THE LEVEL OF DRUG IN THE BODY FLUCTUATES CAUSING MOODINESS, JITTERS OR CHANGES IN APPETITE. THE PATCH SUPPLIES AN EVEN DOSE OF THE DRUG AND APPEARS TO REDUCE THE SIDE EFFECTS.
Martin Garcia
David's Father
"They don't know it's a patch or nothing, and they just see you like a normal kid."
FOR DAVID, IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
David Garcia
Has ADHD
"When I didn't have the patch on, I didn't get that much homework done."
NOW, IN JUST ONE DAY, HE GETS HIS HOMEWORK DONE FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK, AND NO ONE AT SCHOOL HAS TO KNOW HE'S ON MEDICATION.
Rocio Garcia
David's Mother
"It's very important that it's covered. And it's very important to me how David feels about himself."
THE MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PATCH ARE TROUBLE SLEEPING AND HEADACHE.
BACKGROUND: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, ADHD is one of the most
common chronic conditions of childhood and affects between 4 percent and 12 percent of all school-
age children. About three times more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD. Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a dysfunction in certain parts of the brain. Researchers believe
ADHD originates in the impulse control areas of the brain's frontal lobes. It's these areas that seem
to be responsible for regulating the rest of the brain. Children with ADHD may experience significant
functional problems such as school difficulties, academic underachievement, troublesome
relationships with family members and peers, and behavioral problems.
GOLD-STANDARD TREATMENT: The drug Ritalin is often prescribed to treat ADHD. Though
Ritalin can be quite effective, it is generally classified as a short-acting drug. Patients typically
require two or three doses a day, usually in pill form. If patients don't take their medication at the right
times, a constant level of the drug cannot be maintained in their bodies. As Ritalin levels fluctuate,
patients experience certain side effects including jitters, moodiness and changes in appetite.
Researchers say these side effects might be avoided by providing patients with a steady supply of
the medication.
A DIFFERENT DRUG DELIVERY: Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are taking medication for
ADHD through a skin patch, instead of oral doses. The patch is worn underneath the clothes, so it
need never be seen by anyone other than the children and their families. This offers the additional
advantage of easing the Ritalin stigma, experienced by elementary school-aged children. They must
go to the nurse's office to receive their Ritalin pills, since doses are often required during the school
day. Being diagnosed with ADHD has already set these children apart from their classmates, and
being sent to the nurse's office only accentuates the difference. The patch eliminates those trips.
Typically, the patch is applied in the morning, when the child wakes up. As with other skin patches, it
provides a consistent dose, eliminating what David Feifel, M.D., of UC San Diego, describes as a
"roller-coaster effect" from irregularly timed oral doses. Because the patch supplies a consistent dose
of the drug, it appears to reduce the moodiness, jitters and changes in appetite ñ those side effects
commonly associated with Ritalin.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SCHOOL: The patch's effectiveness was evaluated through teacher ratings of
the child's attention and behavior using the IOWA Conners Rating Scale. By this measure the patch
showed significant improvement over the placebo.
The manufacturers of the patch say if it receives FDA approval, the patch should be available to the
public the second half of 2003.
Susan Pondrom
Senior Public Information Representative
UCSD Medical Center MC8230
200 W. Arbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92103-8230
(619) 543-6163
spondrom@ucsd.edu
Copyright © 2002 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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