Methylphenidate as a treatment for stuttering: a case report

D. Devroey, G. Beerens, E. Van De Vijver

Department of Family Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium. dirk.devroey@vub.ac.be

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• Psychiatry

INTRODUCTION: A randomized placebo controlled trial with methylphenidate (MPH) was set up to identify the effects of MPH on cognition in healthy young adults (ea. without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD). Subjects repeatedly performed tests of the immediate and delayed memory and vigilance tasks after administration of placebo or 20 mg MPH.

CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of an 18 year old man who participated in the study. He suffered from stuttering since childhood. During the study phase he reported a remarkable relief of the stuttering after the intake of 20 mg MPH.

CONCLUSIONS: For D-amphetamine the beneficial effect on stuttering has been demonstrated but it was never implemented in clinical practice because of important adverse events. MPH, an amphetamine analogue, doesn’t present these side effects. For this reason, MPH seems to merit further investigation in a randomized-controlled trial as a possible agent in the treatment of stuttering.Methylphenidate, Stuttering

Published on: 2012/10/17

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