Open Label Pilot Study of Atomoxetine in Adults With ADHD and Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this 10-week, open-label trial was to evaluate the potential utility of atomoxetine for improving attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance craving in abstinent adults with ADHD who were being treated at a residential treatment facility. METHODS: Eighteen adults were treated with atomoxetine (25–120 mg/day) for up to 10 weeks. Researchers assessed ADHD symptoms with the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) and substance cravings with the Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS). Paired t-tests were used to assess changes in symptoms and craving. RESULTS: Among the 12 participants who completed at least 2 weeks of treatment, mean total AISRS scores improved (43.2 ± SD 7.4 to 25.8 ± SD 14.4, t = 5.0, p < .001). Participants also reported improvement in some measures of cravings. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide preliminarily support for the utility of atomoxetine in abstinent adults with co-occurring ADHD and substance use disorder. (Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 6:196–207, 2010)

KEYWORDS:

• ADHD
• adults
• substance dependence
• atomoxetine

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The study was supported in part by an investigator initiated research grant from Eli Lilly and Company. The clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT00953862. The authors thank John Rotrosen, MD, for his assistance with study design, data analyses and manuscript preparation.

Findings of the study were presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts, October 2007, and at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, Massachusetts, August 2008. Frank Guida is now an independent consultant.