Deprenyl in attention deficit associated with Tourette's syndrome

While central nervous system stimulants usually improve attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) associated with Tourette's syndrome, they often exacerbate tics and can produce other potentially serious complications. Because deprenyl may have a stimulatory effect and monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been shown to ameliorate hyperactive behavior, we studied this drug in children with the Tourette's syndrome-ADHD combination. Twenty-nine patients, 25 boys and four girls, with a mean age of 11.2 years (range, 6 to 18 years) and duration of symptoms for an average of 6.2 years (range, 1 to 13 years), were enrolled in this open trial after they became refractory to conventional treatments for ADHD. The average duration of treatment with deprenyl was 6.7 months (range, 3 to 15 months) and the average daily dose was 8.1 mg/d (range, 5 to 15 mg/dL). Twenty-six of all patients (90%) reported clinically meaningful improvement in their ADHD (score > or = 2 on a scale of 0 to 4), with the mean global improvement rated at 2.6. There were no serious adverse side effects and only two patients noted exacerbation of their tics. Deprenyl appears to be a safe and effective treatment of ADHD in patients with Tourette's syndrome.