Researchers from Ajou University School of Medicine published a study demonstrating that it is safe to use attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication and antidepressants together in adolescents.
The research team led by professor Shin Yun-mi of psychiatry investigated 330,000 ADHD patients nationwide from 2017 to 2020 to evaluate their safety through neuropsychological, cardiovascular, and other side effects. The cohort was divided into the ADHD treatment drug methylphenidate (MPH) group and the MPH and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) combination group.
Neuropsychological side effects refer to psychosis, mania, tic disorder, and suicidal tendencies while cardiovascular side effects include high blood pressure and arrhythmia. Other side effects the risk of trauma and gastrointestinal disorders.
ADHD and depressive disorders often present together in adolescents which negatively affects youth learning or social function, requiring particular attention.
However, due to a lack of evidence on potential adverse reactions regarding the combined use of drugs to treat both depression and ADHD, active treatment is often uncertain.
Accordingly, the research team published a study providing clear guidelines for the safe drug combination treatment for adolescent ADHD patients with depressive disorders.
They found no significant difference in the risk of neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, and other adverse events between the two groups. Consequently, this suggests that SSRIs may be a favorable treatment option for mood symptoms in ADHD patients using MPHs.
Furthermore, regarding SSRI selection, there were no adverse events between fluoxetine and escitalopram but advised caution when treating tic disorders.
"This study has proven the safety of the combination of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in adolescent ADHD patients through the first large-scale retrospective study," Shin said. "Follow-up studies to confirm the association with each safety outcome according to ethnicity is still required to close the gap for treating patients who present with both ADHD and depression.”
The study was published in a recent issue of Psychological Medicine.