Pilot Study of Vyvanse™ In ADHD Adolescents at Risk for Substance Abuse
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This is an open label pilot study to obtain information on the best way to study young
adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)who may also be at risk of
developing substance abuse, in part because of their ADHD. The plan is to recruit older
children/young adolescents (age 11-15) who have ADHD and also have an older sibling with
substance abuse. The treatment for ADHD in the 11-15 year old will be Vyvanse, a novel
preparation of dextroamphetamine in which the molecule is inactivated and only becomes
activated when it is digested. This preparation is felt to be safer from diversion while at
the same time providing treatment for the younger siblings in which a bad outcome has already
occurred in the family, namely the older sibling's substance abuse. As mentioned, this is an
open-label study, a feasibility study to see if we can use this approach to study and treat
high risk youth before they develop substance abuse.