Abstract

Objective: Although there is increasing number of psychopharmacological treatments in preschoolers, there is still limited information in literature about the efficacy and safety of the drugs. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy, doses, side effects and the variables that predict the clinical benefit of the most used drugs(methylphenidate and risperidone) in our clinic from preschoolers.

Material and Methods: The patient records in our clinic, whose medication was started between 0-6 years old were scanned retrospectively. Fifty children using methylphenidate and 45 children using risperidone were evaluated with scored Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAS). Patients using methylphenidate and risperidone were compared in their own group and with each other concerning the parameters investigated.


Results: There was a statistifically significant difference between before and after drug assessments of the patients according to symptom severity(CGI-S scores) and clinical functionality (GAS scores). The age, gender, presence of preschool education, prenatal—natal-postnatal problem or medical disease history had no significant relationship with the efficacy or side effects of the drugs. None of the medication investigated were found superior to other concerning the efficacy and side effect profiles.

Conclusion: Methylphenidate and risperidone were found effective and safe among the drugs recommended for the pharmacological treatment of behaviour problems, hyperactivity and irritability in the preschool age. Further prospective studies in larger clinical samples with longer follow-up periods are needed to draw certain conclusions about the psychopharmacological treatments in preschoolers.

Keywords: preschool, methylphenidate, risperidone

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How to cite

1.
Ünal D, Nalbant K, Ünal D, Aybı M. Retrospective Analysis of Risperidone and Methylphenidate Use in Preschool Age According to the Drug Benefit and Side Effects. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2021 Jul. 16 [cited 2025 May 24];15(4):299-305. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/774