Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips

Depression from methylphenidate

Date: Tue, 4 Feb 97 23:57 PST
From: Charlene Sabin <sabin@hevanet.com>
Subject: Depression from methylphenidate

I have seen the emergence of depression in a significant minority, maybe about 5-10%, of kids started on methylphenidate. In my practice, many of them have a significant family history of affective disorder.

Some children on methylphenidate experience teariness, emotional lability, or irritability as the medication wears off at the end of the day, and I am differentiating this effect from what I am referring to as depression.

Colleagues have seen the effect and have offered a few different theories that run the gamut from the psychological (the child feels depressed when he/she can focus enough to realize the severity of their difficulties with peers, academics, or family) to the biochemical (the methylphenidate alters the 5-HT and/or norepinephrine transport systems in certain individuals more so than others).

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