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Review
. 2016 May 3:12:1061-83.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S97724. eCollection 2016.

Factors affecting treatment adherence to atomoxetine in ADHD: a systematic review

Tamás Treuer  1 , Luis Méndez  2 , William Montgomery  3 , Shenghu Wu  4
Affiliations
Review

Factors affecting treatment adherence to atomoxetine in ADHD: a systematic review

Tamás Treuer et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to systematically review the literature related to research about the factors affecting treatment adherence and discontinuation of atomoxetine in pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Medline was systematically searched using the following prespecified terms: "ADHD", "Adherence", "Compliance", "Discontinuation", and "Atomoxetine". We identified 31 articles that met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings from this review indicate that persistence and adherence to atomoxetine treatment were generally high. Factors found to influence adherence and nonadherence to atomoxetine treatment in ADHD in this review include age, sex, the definition of response used, length of treatment, initial dose of treatment, comorbid conditions, and reimbursement. Tolerability was cited as an important reason for treatment discontinuation. More research is needed to understand those factors that can help to identify patients at risk for poor adherence and interventions that could improve treatment adherence early in the stage of this illness to secure a better long-term prognosis.

Keywords: ADHD medication; adherence; atomoxetine; compliance; relapse; treatment discontinuation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA diagram of the literature selection criteria. Abbreviation: PRISMA, preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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