New ADHD meds may reduce tiredness, irritability - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

A new version of an old hypertension drug may help kids with ADHD. Now, doctors are testing it to see if it can ease hyperactivity in kids without too many side effects.

Seventh grader Liz Stein takes medication for ADHD. It helps, but her mom says there's room for improvement: "Liz can be a straight a student, you know, she's very, very smart. But i just think it's hard for her to stay focused."

So she enrolled the 12-year-old in a study testing a new version of a widely used high blood pressure drug called Clonidine.

Prescribed along with a stimulant, Clonidine seems to help reduce hyperactivity. The problem is the drug causes daytime drowsiness in kids. But the new form of the drug designed specifically for ADHD, and called Clonicel, is a slow-release pill, so it's more consistent.

Doctors say they are not seeing that daytime tiredness with Clonicel because they don't have it in high doses in the bloodstream, so it's a gradual, smooth release.

Another bonus: researchers say the drug targets receptors in the body's stress response center and may reduce emotional outbursts and irritability.

Patients in the trial don't know if they're getting the real drug or a sugar pill. But Liz seems a little more focused since starting the study. She says she's happy about being able to focus.