effectiveness of methylphenidate supplemented by zinc, calcium, and magnesium for treatment of adhd patients in the city of zahedan

Background: this study investigates the therapeutic effect of a combination of methylphenidate and a zinc, calcium, and magnesium supplement for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) in a population of children from the city of zahedan. methods: this clinical trial involved 40 patients with adhd aged 6 to 12. simple convenience sampling was conducted and the patients wererandomlydivided intotwogroups: a casegroupwhichreceived methylphenidateanda zinc, calcium, andmagnesium supplement; and a control group which received methylphenidate plus a placebo. numerical variables were presented as a mean (sd) and nominal and categorized variables were summarized by absolute frequencies and percentages. to compare the baseline measurements between the two groups, a chi-square test, an independent t-test, and a paired test were used. the data analysis was done using the statistical software spss, version 18.0. results: the mean age of the children in the case group was 9.6±1.5 years and that of the children in the control group was 8.9±1.6 years (p = 0.235). of the children, 32 were boys (80%) and 8 were girls (20%) (p = 0.429). the mean for symptom severity in the case group was 40.42.4 before treatment, and 19.56.1 after 8 weeks of treatment (p < 0.001). conclusions: this study shows that a zinc, calcium, and magnesium supplement is effective in the treatment of adhd.