Venlafaxine for ADHD
Brand names of venlafaxine include: Trevilor (D), Efexor (CH), Efectin (A)
Venafaxine was launched in 1993 and is only approved for adults (aged 18 and over).1
- low dose (75 mg/day) as an SSRI
- higher doses (150-225 mg/day) than serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), with a weak effect on dopamine uptake.
Particularly disadvantageous are the duration of several weeks until any (antidepressant) effect occurs and, even more so, the sometimes considerable side effects of dosing out, which sometimes require very slow dosing out (up to the, albeit rare, but repeatedly encountered, complete failure of dosing out or clinical maturity as a consequence of dosing out).
SSRIs showed no effect in ADHD3
Venlafaxine has only been tested in a few studies with a small number of subjects in relation to ADHD. The improvement in ADHD symptoms was very modest, while the side effects were significant.4
An RCT on n = 38 children found a slightly better effect of MPH than venlafaxine in the teacher and parent ratings, even if the difference was not statistically significant. The responder rate for venlafaxine was 63 % and for MPH 68 %.5
An RCT in adults with ADHD found no effect of venlafaxine compared to placebo.6
We therefore advise against the use of venlafaxine for ADHD.
ATTENTION:
There are concerns about the use of the entire group of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in ADHD.
See also ⇒ Comments on serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in ADHD In the article ⇒ Medication for ADHD - overview.
Müller, Candrian, Kropotov (2011), ADHS – Neurodiagnostik in der Praxis, Springer, Seite 22 ↥ ↥
Ilipilla G, Arnold LE (2024): The role of adrenergic neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitors in the ADHD armamentarium. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2024 Jun;25(8):945-956. doi: 10.1080/14656566.2024.2369197. PMID: 38900676. REVIEW ↥
Dodson WW (2005): Pharmacotherapy of adult ADHD. J Clin Psychol. 2005 May;61(5):589-606. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20122. PMID: 15723384. REVIEW ↥
Häßler (2009): substanzgebundene Alternativen in der Therapie von ADHS, Seite 175 f, in: Häßler (Hrsg) das ADHS Kaleidoskop – State of the Art und bisher nicht beachtete Aspekte von hoher Relevanz; medizinisch wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft ↥
Zarinara AR, Mohammadi MR, Hazrati N, Tabrizi M, Rezazadeh SA, Rezaie F, Akhondzadeh S (2010): Venlafaxine versus methylphenidate in pediatric outpatients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double-blind comparison trial. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2010 Nov;25(7-8):530-5. doi: 10.1002/hup.1148. PMID: 20860068. ↥
Amiri S, Farhang S, Ghoreishizadeh MA, Malek A, Mohammadzadeh S (2012): Double-blind controlled trial of venlafaxine for treatment of adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2012 Jan;27(1):76-81. doi: 10.1002/hup.1274. PMID: 22252909. ↥