Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Adults Not Likely to Abuse ADHD Drugs, Study Suggests
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THURSDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- A delayed-release stimulant used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be less likely to be abused than other stimulant drugs, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers contend. Study participants taking therapeutic oral doses of Concerta, a once-daily form of the drug methylphenidate, did not report "perceiving and enjoying the drug''s subjective effects," features that are associated with a medication''s potential for abuse. The study included 12 adults who did not have ADHD who were randomly assigned to receive either the immediate-release or delayed-release form of methylphenidate on two separate days. During the 10 hours after each drug administration, hourly blood samples were taken from the volunteers, who also completed hourly questionnaires regarding whether they were aware of the drug''s effects and whether they enjoyed or disliked those effects. As expected, the delayed-release formulation took longer to produce maximum blood levels and blockade of the dopamine transporter than did the immediate-release drug. While most of those receiving immediate-release methylphenidate reported detecting and enjoying the drug''s activity, few of those receiving the delayed-release form were aware of or enjoyed the drug''s effects, the researchers said. The results appear in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study received funding from McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, which makes Concerta. "We know that drugs that cause euphoria are potentially abusable, and euphoria requires rapid delivery to the brain. Using sophisticated PET scan imaging, we were able to examine the rate of delivery of both rapid- and delayed-release formulations of methylphenidate and correlate those results with how the drugs felt to study volunteers," study lead author Dr. Thomas Spencer, of the pediatric psychopharmacology unit at MGH, said in a prepared statement. "The ability to show that rate of brain delivery may determine abuse potential is important to our understanding of the safety of different formulations," he said. More information The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about ADHD medicines.
Last Updated: March 2, 2006 |