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Nutritional supplements for the treatment of ADHD.

Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America
October 1, 2014
Michael H Bloch et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Melatonin in treating chronic insomnia and core ADHD symptoms in children with ADHD.

Results Summary

Melatonin was found to be effective in treating chronic insomnia in children with ADHD but had minimal effects on reducing core ADHD symptoms. The abstract notes that many natural supplements, including Melatonin, are widely used despite minimal evidence of efficacy and possible side effects.

Population

Children with ADHD

Effective Dosage

Not available

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation
increase
ADHD symptoms
-
modest
appears to have modest benefit for improving
#1
Melatonin
decrease
chronic insomnia
children with ADHD
-
appears to be effective in treating
#2
Melatonin
no change
core ADHD symptoms
children with ADHD
minimal
appears to have minimal effects in reducing
#3
Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation appears to have modest benefit for improving ADHD symptoms. Melatonin appears to be effective in treating chronic insomnia in children with ADHD but appears to have minimal effects in reducing core ADHD symptoms. Many other natural supplements are widely used in the United States despite minimal evidence of efficacy and possible side effects. This review synthesizes and evaluates the scientific evidence regarding the potential efficacy and side effects of natural supplements and herbal remedies for ADHD. We provide clinicians with recommendations regarding their potential use and role in overall ADHD treatment.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityChildChild, PreschoolDietary SupplementsFatty Acids, Omega-3HumansMelatoninPhytotherapy
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations23
Citations/Year2.1
Relative Citation Ratio1.10
NIH Percentile53.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.65
Normalized Score0.64
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