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Combination and Switching of Stimulants in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Quebec.
- Source :
-
Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry . Fall2014, Vol. 23 Issue 3, p157-166. 10p. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Objective: To assess the one-year period prevalence of stimulant combination therapy and switching in children/ adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Quebec, Canada. Method: Patients aged 6-17 years, with at least two ADHD diagnosis codes documented in different visits and at least 30 days' supply of a stimulant during their most recent one-year observation period were selected from the Regie de l'assurance maladie du Quebec database (03/2007-02/2012). Combination therapy was defined as at least 30 consecutive days of concomitant use of multiple stimulants with different active moieties, or use of a stimulant and another psychotropic medication. Therapy switching was defined as a prescription claim for a new psychotropic medication less than 30 days before or after the end of supply of a stimulant. The one-year period prevalence of therapy combination and switching was calculated. Results: The one-year period prevalence of combination therapy and switching among 9,431 children and adolescents with ADHD treated with stimulants was 19.8% and 18.7%, respectively. The most frequent combination categories were atypical antipsychotics (AAP: 10.8%), atomoxetine (ATX: 5.5%) and clonidine (5.3%). The most frequent switched-to categories were other stimulants (7.9%), AAP (5.5%) and ATX (4.7%). Conclusions: Approximately one in five children/adolescents with ADHD on a stimulant experienced combination therapy or therapy switching; however, the majority of the medications used in combination or switching were not label-indicated for the treatment of ADHD in Canada. These results highlight the need for further research to evaluate the risk-benefit of stimulant combination and switching in children and adolescents with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17198429
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 98780870