Effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of long-term use of atomoxetine in adolescents with ADHD

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There has been a paucity of data regarding long-term use of atomoxetine in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), despite its known short-term usefulness and its longer-term use. Wilens et al provide a substantial addition to the clinical evidence base available to guide practitioners. They describe a meta-analysis of controlled and open-label clinical studies of atomoxetine treatment for adolescents with ADHD. Significant strengths are the large data set and consistency of ratings of effectiveness, tolerability, and safety across studies. All are reassuring for two years of therapy. Significant limitations, as acknowledged by authors, are the open-label study design and the completion of two years’ treatment data of only 36% of 601 adolescents entered.