Dexamphetamine improves upper extremity outcome during rehabilitation after stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: For early inpatient stroke rehabilitation, the effectiveness of amphetamine combined with physiotherapy varies across studies.

Objective: To investigate whether the recovery of activities of daily living (ADL, primary outcome) and motor function (secondary outcome) can be improved by dexamphetamine added to physiotherapy.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 16 patients, from 918 who were screened, were randomized to the experimental group (EG, dexamphetamine + physiotherapy) or control group (CG, placebo + physiotherapy).