Medication Strategies for Treating Aggressive Behavior in Youth With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Summary

This study will assess whether adding a mood stabilizer, divalproex sodium, to stimulant treatment is more effective than stimulant treatment alone in reducing aggressive behavior among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Timeline

Start

2004-01

Primary completion

2007-07

Completion

2007-07

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper A significantly higher proportion of children randomly assigned to divalproex met remission criteria (eight out of 14 [57%]) than those randomly assigned to placebo PMID 19884222 ↗

Publications

• Blader JC, Pliszka SR, Kafantaris V, Sauder C, Posner J, Foley CA, Carlson GA, Crowell JA, Margulies DM. Prevalence and Treatment Outcomes of Persistent Negative Mood Among Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Aggressive Behavior. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016 Mar;26(2):164-73. doi: 10.1089/cap.2015.0112. Epub 2016 Jan 8.
• Blader JC, Pliszka SR, Kafantaris V, Foley CA, Crowell JA, Carlson GA, Sauder CL, Margulies DM, Sinha C, Sverd J, Matthews TL, Bailey BY, Daviss WB. Callous-unemotional traits, proactive aggression, and treatment outcomes of aggressive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2013 Dec;52(12):1281-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.08.024. Epub 2013 Sep 25.
• Blader JC, Schooler NR, Jensen PS, Pliszka SR, Kafantaris V. Adjunctive divalproex versus placebo for children with ADHD and aggression refractory to stimulant monotherapy. Am J Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;166(12):1392-401. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09020233. Epub 2009 Nov 2.

Drugs

Indications