Effects of methylphenidate on subjective sleep parameters in adults with ADHD: a prospective, non-randomized,
Ann-Marie Low1,2, Signe Vangkilde1, Julijana le Sommer2,3
1Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Objective:
Methylphenidate is a first-line treatment for ADHD; its contribution to sleep problems in adult ADHD is currently unclear. This study investigates (a) subjective sleep disturbances in a group of initially stimulant medication-naïve adults with ADHD and (b) reported changes in sleep problems after 6 weeks of methylphenidate treatment.
Method:
A prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded, 6-week follow-up study utilising a self-report measure.
Results:
We found (1) a large difference in reported sleep quality between methylphenidate medication-naïve patients and controls at baseline, (2) a marked improvement in patients after methylphenidate medication, and (3) largest improvement for patients with the poorest reported sleep at baseline.
Conclusion:
The study indicates that treatment with methylphenidate increases subjective sleep quality for at least some adults with ADHD.
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