Methylphenidate: pulmonary hypertension and heart valve disease.

Several amphetamine-like appetite suppressants are known to have cardiovascular adverse effects, in particular pulmonary arterial hypertension and cardiac valve disease. Is this also the case with methylphenidate, an amphetamine-like psychostimulant used in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (especially in children) and also in narcolepsy? Cases of pulmonary hypertension and heart valve disease have been reported with methylphenidate, including in children. The risk appears to be low, but epidemiological studies are needed to estimate the incidence. This risk should be minimised by only using methylphenidate to treat serious disorders, at the lowest effective dose. Attention should be paid to warning signs such as dyspnoea.