Duloxetine for ADHD
Duloxetine is an SNRI.
A prospective study of 17 adolescents with ADHD found significant improvements from the 4th week compared to placebo. 24 % of the test subjects discontinued participation prematurely due to side effects.1
Common side effects were:
- reduced appetite (46 %)
- Dry mouth (30 %)
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Nausea
- Drowsiness
- States of anxiety
- Nervousness.
An RCT on n = 30 adults with ADHD found a better effect on ADHD symptoms than placebo.
Just under 40 % of the test subjects discontinued participation prematurely due to side effects.2
There were no positive effects on anxiety or depression symptoms.3
Mahmoudi-Gharaei J, Dodangi N, Tehrani-Doost M, Faghihi T (2011): Duloxetine in the treatment of adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an open-label study. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2011 Mar;26(2):155-60. doi: 10.1002/hup.1188. PMID: 21455975. ↥
Bilodeau M, Simon T, Beauchamp MH, Lespérance P, Dubreucq S, Dorée JP, Tourjman SV (2014): Duloxetine in adults with ADHD: a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. J Atten Disord. 2014 Feb;18(2):169-75. doi: 10.1177/1087054712443157. PMID: 22582349. ↥
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 ↥