TY  - JOUR
T1  - TReatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
AU  - Halpern JH
Y1  - 1999/04/28
N1  - 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-16-jbk0428
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 1490
EP  - 1491
VL  - 281
IS  - 16
N2  - 
To the Editor: The AMA Council on
Scientific Affairs1 reasoned that review of the treatment
and diagnosis of ADHD is of timely importance, as the authors rightly
note that there is a public "climate of fear among physicians,
parents, and educators" about treatment with psychostimulants,
despite the clear efficacy these medications offer. It is, for this
reason, surprising to find that the authors failed to mention that
methamphetamine is also a US Food and Drug Administration–approved
treatment for ADHD. No data exist that prescribed methamphetamine is
more likely to be abused than methylphenidate or
d-amphetamine. Methamphetamine is also regarded as having more
potent centrally acting properties and less potent peripherally acting
properties than d-amphetamine.2 With the
longest duration of action of any of the stimulants (8-12 hours),
methamphetamine has the advantage of offering true once-a-day dosing.
In addition, methamphetamine still has a limited role in the treatment
of obesity, has antidepressant properties,3 and is an
effective treatment for narcolepsy.4

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-16-jbk0428
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-16-jbk0428
ER  -