Not all children with ADHD benefit from Ritalin, and not all need the same dose. Child and adolescent psychiatrist Karen Vertessen, UPC KU Leuven, devoted her doctoral research to a new method to better detect children who do not need Ritalin and to prescribe the drug in a more tailor-made manner. She talks about this in De Ochtend (Radio 1) and the Journaal.
If Ritalin is prescribed according to this new, “smart” method, it will be clearer to the practitioner more quickly in which children the medicine does not lead to a reduction in complaints, Vertessen explains. “We can then start another treatment more quickly and they are not unnecessarily exposed to the side effects of Ritalin, such as poorer sleep or less appetite.”
In children who do benefit from Ritalin, it appears that a higher dose does not always have a better effect. “That is very important information, because now the dose is almost always increased as standard, while this is not always necessary. By prescribing medication in this way, it can be better tailored to the individual needs of the child.”
Doctor Vertessen now uses the method in her own practice as a child and youth psychiatrist at the Gasthuisberg Campus of the UPC KU Leuven, and advocates for other psychiatrists to do so as well. “This method is ready to be rolled out further in practice, and how this can be done is also being examined in the Netherlands.”
Listen to the interview | Radio 1
2023-12-02 16:32:11
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