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Practical aspects of prescribing methyphenidate for children with an attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity Volume 94, issue 6, Juin-Juillet 2018

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Authors
1 Praticien hospitalier chef de pôle 93I03
2 Praticien hospitalier secteur 93I03
3 EPS de Ville-Évrard,
202 avenue Jean Jaurès
93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France
* Correspondance

The care of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) must be adapted individually and requires a multidimensional approach, depending on the particular needs of the child. This should contain the following: therapeutic education, parental guidance, psychotherapy, speech re-education and cognitive remediation. The prescription of any medication is made only in a second stage if these measures are not sufficiently effective, and only after having estimated the profit/risk ratio. The international guidelines are unanimous in proposing methylphenidate as a first-line medicine. Moreover, it is the only medication labeled in France for ADHD. This article aims to provide practical advice for the prescription of methylphenidate i.e. how to decide the indication, how estimate the profit/risk ratio, the expected effects of the product, the possible side-effects, how to manage long-term treatment.

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