Study Ritalin apparently increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias

ADHD medication has a negative effect on the heart rhythm
The controversial drug Ritalin is used to treat hyperactivity. Especially in children, Ritalin is often used in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But now researchers have discovered that taking Ritalin can trigger cardiac arrhythmias in adolescents and children.

An international research team from Australia, Canada and South Korea investigated the effects of methylphenidate (active ingredient in Ritalin). The drug is a central nervous system stimulant and is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. The medicine is sold under different trade names, the most famous of which is probably Ritalin. The researchers found that taking methylphenidate in children may lead to cardiac arrhythmia shortly after initiation of treatment. The scientists published the results of their study in the journal British Medical Journal (BMJ).

In a so-called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children and adolescents are often prescribed Ritalin. Researchers now found that the drug increases the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmias. (Image: L.Klauser / fotolia.com)

Study examines data from over 1,200 cardiovascular events
Researchers at the BMJ warned that prescribing drugs for children with ADHD should first carefully weigh the potential cardiovascular risks. Already shortly after starting treatment with the drug increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias in children and young people, say the experts. The current study examined data from 1,224 patients. The data collected came from the South Korea National Health Insurance Database. All subjects were at the age of 17 years or younger and had already experienced a cardiovascular event, explain the doctors. 864 subjects had arrhythmias (cardiac arrhythmias), 396 had hypertension, 52 patients had myocardial infarction (heart attack), 67 subjects had already had a stroke and 44 had heart failure, the authors add.

Ritalin increases the likelihood of developing arrhythmias by 61 percent
When children took methylphenidate, the likelihood of developing arrhythmias increased 61 percent in the first two months of use. During the first three days of treatment, the risk is even higher, the scientists warn. The risk was most pronounced in children with already existing heart disease. The danger remains small, but the benefits of the drug must be carefully weighed, advise the doctors. The researchers found no increased risk of hypertension, ischemic strokes or heart failure.

Advantages and disadvantages should be carefully weighed before Ritalin is prescribed
Methylphenidate exposure in children and adolescents with ADHD diagnosis may be related to arrhythmia and myocardial infarction. With the increased use of drugs worldwide for ADHD, the benefits of methylphenidate should be carefully weighed against the potential cardiovascular risks of these drugs in children and adolescents, the experts explain. The authors of the study further point out that the current study was an observational study so that no firm conclusions about cause and effect could be drawn. (As)