Introduction
The drug lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (commonly shortened to lisdexamfetamine, trade name EU: Elvanse, U.S.: Vyvanse) has been approved in Germany since March 2013 for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children from the age of 6 years. It is considered as a treatment option if previous treatment with the drug methylphenidate was unsuccessful.
Its approval was expanded in February 2019: Lisdexamfetamine (trade name: Elvanse Adult) can now also be used in adults who have had ADHD symptoms since childhood.
At home, at school and with friends, children with ADHD have noticeable trouble concentrating, are fidgety and in many cases very impatient and impulsive. It is often difficult to determine whether a child has ADHD. One of the requirements is that the child must have had noticeably unusual behavior for several months.
In many cases the symptoms improve with age, but they can sometimes carry on into adulthood. The symptoms of ADHD are often different in adults, though. Hyperactivity is less of a problem, and inattentiveness becomes the most noticeable symptom. Although ADHD is less apparent in adults than it is in children, adults with ADHD often struggle to organize things in everyday life or to concentrate for longer periods of time. They are also usually very impulsive, which can cause problems in their social life.
Treatment of ADHD in children, teenagers and adults involves a combination of psychological, educational and social interventions. Lisdexamfetamine is meant to be used in addition to these interventions with the aim of relieving the symptoms of ADHD in children and adults.