Reboxetine for ADHD
Reboxetine is a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, as well as a weak serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
Trade names: Edronax (D, CH, A), Solcenx (D)
The active ingredient reboxetine is a noradrenergic drug which, according to individual reports, can be effective for ADHD. As an antidepressant, as it was actually intended to be, it was probably quite unsuccessful.
Approval only in the EU, not in the USA.1
The updated European consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD (2018) names reboxetine as a possible alternative to atomoxetine for ADHD.2
There is evidence that reboxetine is effective for ADHD. However, there are only a few controlled studies. Reboxetine could be used primarily in adults without comorbidities.34
One study found a positive effect on ADHD and on anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with ADHD and comorbid anxiety disorder.5
Other studies also found an improvement in ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents with low side effects.6789
Reboxetine is not reimbursed by health insurance companies in Germany.
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 ↥
Kooij, Bijlenga, Salerno, Jaeschke, Bitter, Balázs, Thome, Dom, Kasper, Filipe, Stes, Mohr, Leppämäki, Brugué, Bobes, Mccarthy, Richarte, Philipsen, Pehlivanidis, Niemela, Styr, Semerci, Bolea-Alamanac, Edvinsson, Baeyens, Wynchank, Sobanski, Philipsen, McNicholas, Caci, Mihailescu, Manor, Dobrescu, Krause, Fayyad, Ramos-Quiroga, Foeken, Rad, Adamou, Ohlmeier, Fitzgerald, Gill, Lensing, Mukaddes, Brudkiewicz, Gustafsson, Tania, Oswald, Carpentier, De Rossi, Delorme, Simoska, Pallanti, Young, Bejerot, Lehtonen, Kustow, Müller-Sedgwick, Hirvikoski, Pironti, Ginsberg, Félegeházy, Garcia-Portilla, Asherson (2018): Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD, European Psychiatrie, European Psychiatry 56 (2019) 14–34, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.11.001, Seite 23, 7.4.7. ↥
Ghanizadeh (2015): A systematic review of reboxetine for treating patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nord J Psychiatry. 2015 May;69(4):241-8. doi: 10.3109/08039488.2014.972975. PMID: 25415763. REVIEW ↥
Riahi, Tehrani-Doost, Shahrivar, Alaghband-Rad (2010): Efficacy of reboxetine in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2010 Nov;25(7-8):570-6. doi: 10.1002/hup.1158. ↥
Riahi F, Tashakori A, Izadi-Mazidi S, Salehi-Veysi M (2013): Effectiveness of reboxetine in treatment of outpatient children and adolescents with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder with comorbid anxiety disorders. Iran J Psychiatry. 2013 Oct;8(4):195-200. PMID: 25628714; PMCID: PMC4281655. n = 25 ↥
Ratner S, Laor N, Bronstein Y, Weizman A, Toren P (2005): Six-week open-label reboxetine treatment in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005 May;44(5):428-33. doi: 10.1097/01.chi.0000155327.30017.8c. PMID: 15843764. n = 31 ↥
Cohen-Yavin I, Yoran-Hegesh R, Strous RD, Kotler M, Weizman A, Spivak B (2009): Efficacy of reboxetine in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in boys with intolerance to methylphenidate: an open-label, 8-week, methylphenidate-controlled trial. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2009 Jul-Aug;32(4):179-82. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0b013e318183796d. PMID: 19644227. n = 27 ↥
Tehrani-Doost M, Moallemi S, Shahrivar Z (2008): An open-label trial of reboxetine in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2008 Apr;18(2):179-84. doi: 10.1089/cap.2006.0034. PMID: 18439114. n = 20 ↥
Toren P, Ratner S, Weizman A, Lask M, Ben-Amitay G, Laor N (2007): Reboxetine maintenance treatment in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a long-term follow-up study. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2007 Dec;17(6):803-12. doi: 10.1089/cap.2006.0145. PMID: 18315452. n = 6 ↥