Guest Author - Megan Dlugokinski

There’s a new drug on the market for ADHD for children ages 6 to 12 called Vyvanse made by Shire LLC, the makers of Adderall XR. It is a prodrug stimulant that is therapeutically inactive until metabolized in the body. Vyvanse is a once a day treatment that provides consistent symptom control for up to 12 hours, including the after school hours from 4 – 6 pm. This can make homework and family time more pleasant for everyone. As a mother I know how difficult the after school homework and dinner time can be. Anything that can make this time easier can be a real blessing.

Clinical studies showed an improvement in 95% of children that took Vyvanse for 12 months. Behavior and attention improved significantly within the first week after starting the medicine. Patients showed over 60% improvement in their symptoms.

Vyvanse is the first ADHD stimulant medication that will have the abuse liability listed on the product label. (Don’t forget to read my article Are ADD Medications Safe for more information on this topic) The side effects are listed as similar to other stimulant medications. You should tell your doctor about any symptoms of depression or bipolar disorder before taking this medication.

This medication became available in US pharmacies beginning on July 27, 2007. Talk to your doctor and see if this new drug might be right for your child. You can also visit their website at www.vyvanse.com for more information and tons of free resources including a free 30 day trial of the medication.


Other important ADHD information:

• Shire voluntarily withdraws a limited portion of their Daytrana patches. Only Daytrana packages with an expiration date of March 31, 2009 or lot numbers 2563511, 2563611, and 257411 are a part of this voluntary recall. This withdrawal is due to efficacy issues not because of safety. Feedback from some patients and caregivers showed a difficulty in removing the release liner from some of the patches. New patches have an improved ease in removing the liner. The patches can still be used as long as the liner can be removed.
  
  
• Shire has two new medications for ADHD in the final stages of clinical studies that are pending final approval by the FDA before release. One is a nonstimulant extended release medication for children ages 6 – 17 years old. This medication will treat symptoms differently than current medications on the market. I will tell you more in a future article. It sounds promising.
  
  
• The second medication is a stimulant medication for adults. It provides longer lasting symptom management than current options on the market. Adderall XR treats adult ADHD symptoms for up to 12 hours while the new medication will last up to 16 hours.
  
  
• Ty Pennington, the host of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, will be hosting the next “ADHD Experts on Call” Live web cast from 12pm to 1pm EST on September 19, 2007 at Experts on Call. This event is on honor of the 4th annual ADHD Awareness Day and this will be Ty's fourth year to host this event. He will share his ADHD experiences with online participants and answer questions.
  
  
• You may also reach an ‘expert on call’ all day September 19, 2007 from 8 am to midnight EST by calling toll-free 1-888-275-2343. Experts will not dispense specific medical advice or recommend any particular course of action. You may also submit your question at Experts on Call via their online form and receive a response via email within 10 days.
  

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