Barbaresi 2006.

Methods	A study of stimulant use for ADHD in a birth cohort born between 1976 and 1982
Participants	Number of participants screened: 5718 Number of participants included: 379 Number of participants followed up: 295 using stimulants which included 251 receiving methylphenidate Number of withdrawals: 84 Diagnosis of ADHD: DSM‐IV (subtype: combined (67.5% stimulants, 72.1% MPH), hyperactive‐impulsive (7.4%, 4.8%), inattentive (24.6%, 21.1%)) Mean age at onset stimulant treatment: 10.4 (SD 3.6). Age at last follow‐up: 17.6 years IQ: not stated Sex: 284 males, 95 females (stimulant treatment). 198 males, 53 females (MPH) Methylphenidate‐naïve: not stated Ethnicity: not stated Country: USA Comorbidity: not stated Comedication: yes, 2 stimulants Sociodemographics: not stated Inclusion criteria: ADHD symptoms Positive results in ADHD questionnaires Documented diagnoses of ADHD Exclusion criteria: Diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder Severe mental retardation Schizophrenia, or other psychotic disorder
Interventions	Methylphenidate type: not stated Methylphenidate dosage: the dose of each stimulant was initially converted to methylphenidate equivalent units (MEUs) and then each dose was weighted by the duration of use. 24.4 (11.1) mg/day Administration schedule: not stated Duration of intervention: 33.8 months Treatment compliance: not stated
Outcomes	Non‐serious adverse events: 63 (22.3%) of the 283 children treated with stimulants had ≥ 1 side effect Dextroamphetamine were significantly more likely to be associated with a side effect compared to methylphenidate (10.0% vs 6.1%, OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.0; P = 0.034) 6.1% of 717 MPH treatment episodes (i.e. period of time during which participant was treated with MPH at a specific dose) were associated with a side effect
Notes	Sample calculation: not stated Ethics approval: not stated Funding/vested interest: the project was supported by research grants from the Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health and by an investigator‐initiated research grant from McNeil Consumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals Authors' affiliations: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Department of Health Sciences Research, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Department of Health Sciences Research, Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Key conclusions of the study authors: clinicians made appropriate treatment decisions; there are disparities in the rates ADHD treatment for boys/girls; efficacy was comparable to clinical trials Exclusion of methylphenidate non‐responders/children who have previously experienced adverse events on methylphenidate: not stated