Dexadrine/Clonidine to treat ADHD/ODD

My 4yr.old son(5 in Nov.)is diagnosed w/adhd/odd. He has occasional aggressive outbursts at pre-school. He is very manipulative w/me and teachers;not w/dad. This has been going on for 2yrs.or more. He has been released from 4 daycare settings. Tried Ritalin alone; but aggressiveness continued. Ritalin/Clonidine which seemed to work initially; but he started to get more explosive. Ritalin was D/C'ed and Clonidine continued. During the last 2 mos. my son's behavior has become worse. He is very impulsive/inappropriate language(cursing/name-calling)He's physically aggressive when trying to use behavior mod. techniques or sending him to his room. He was given scrips for Dexadrine/Clonidine today. This to used along w/behavior mod of course. The Psychiatrist had informed my husband and me of some suspected deaths in children related to use of stimulants w/Clonidine a few years ago. Do you have info on this? He needs help to get more controlled.    

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Elizabeth,

I'm pleased to hear that you are not relying solely on medication to help your son. Behavior management needs to be a core part of the treatment plan.

The prescribing physician is acting responsibly by communicating the information about the reported deaths in children using stimulant medication and Clonidine. These deaths appear to have been isolated events - in other words, there has been no pattern of such occurrences and it is not clear to what the deaths should be attributed. But informed consent demands that physicians reveal whatever relevant information is available. As you probably know, Clonidine is an antihypertensive agent, found to be useful in the treatment of some aymptoms of ADHD and ODD, as wellas volatility/temper dyscontrol that may not necessarily be associated with either of the above diagnoses. Very small doses of this medicine are employed with children and, as with all prescription and over-the-counter medications, parents need to be very vigilant that children do not have access to the medicine. An overdose could certainly be toxic and even fatal.

[westbranchway]

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