Cardiac Cases Raise Concerns Over Drugs for ADHD

Dr. Steven E. Nissen said he had no preconceived notions about drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when he was asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to serve on a panel charged with creating protocols for testing such drugs.

But during a presentation, Dr. Nissen and other panel members learned of 25 reports of deaths between 1999 and 2003. Several dozen other cases of cardiovascular problems among users were reported in that period, many among people with pre-existing cardiac problems.

Dr. Nissen, a Cleveland cardiologist, felt he had enough information to take action. He suggested that stimulant medications for ADHD carry a prominent warning to pediatricians, a sign that doctors should take extra...