Cancer-related fatigue, one of the most common and hard-to-treat side effects of the disease and its treatments, can be eased by drugs widely prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a new analysis found.
The results may be especially relevant as cancer diagnoses are on the rise among younger adults who are balancing careers and family responsibilities during treatment, the researchers said.
“Our findings show that a well-established, accessible medication can provide meaningful relief within weeks,” study leader Dr. Bruno Almeida Costa of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center said in a statement.
His team reviewed data from nine randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving 823 adults who were undergoing active treatment or who had late-stage disease.
Patients who received the psychostimulants methylphenidate or dexmethylphenidate, sold by Novartis under the brand names Ritalin and Focalin, had significantly improved fatigue scores compared with those who got a placebo.
These drugs have the “longest-standing and best-documented safety records among actively prescribed controlled substances,” according to a report of the study published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
“The benefit isn't fully apparent in the first couple of weeks, but by around five weeks it reaches a level that genuinely matters in terms of patients’ daily energy and function,” Costa said.
“For people dealing with a symptom that can be profoundly disabling, that is a meaningful contribution.”
The modest improvements had increased further by eight weeks, the researchers found.
The drugs should not replace established methods to manage cancer-related fatigue such as exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mind-body practices, but could provide earlier relief while those strategies take effect, the researchers said.
