Benzedrine® and Dexedrine® in the Treatment of Children's Behavior Disorders

The effect of benzedrine® (dl-amphetamine) and dexedrine® (d-amphetamine) sulfates upon the behavior of maladjusted children was studied in the somewhat controlled setting of a children's psychiatric hospital. Twelve years' experience with these drugs is reported involving observations upon 275 children who received benzedrine®, 113 who received dexedrine® and 82 who received both preparations. The most frequent optimal daily dose was 20 mg. of benzedrine® and 10 mg. of dexedrine®. Specific behavior responses to both drugs approximated one another both in quality and frequency, with 50 to 60% of the children becoming more subdued, 15 to 25% showing no change, 20% showing increased activity and 5% showing an acceleration of school progress only. Clinically these reactions indicated 60 to 75% symptomatic improvement, 15 to 25% no change and 10 to 15% unfavorable responses. Children with a variety of clinical diagnoses were benefited with no evidence of tolerance or addiction following prolonged administration. Occasional undesirable physiologic side effects were noted with both preparations, most frequently during the first few days of treatment only. Approximately equal numbers of children responded more favorably to one drug in contrast to the other. In general benzedrine® was found to produce the more dramatic results, except with individual children in whom its side effects were more pronounced, in which cases dexedrine® proved more advantageous. The conclusion is drawn that these drugs influence children's behavior by altering their emotional reactions to distressing situations. Both offer the practitioner readily available and easily controlled pharmacologic approaches to the symptomatic treatment of children's behavior disorders.