The effectiveness of clonidine in the treatment of ADHD: A systematic review
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Abstract
Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that shows its first signs during childhood. Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant medication that is primarily used to treat ADHD. However, in patients who respond inadequately to stimulants, other therapeutic options are available, e.g. clonidine. Objective: To present a description of the available knowledge on the use of clonidine in children and teenagers aged 5-17 years. This review summarizes the literature on the effectiveness of clonidine compared to either placebo, stimulants, or clonidine in combination with stimulants. Data sources: A literature search was conducted in the following electronic databases; PubMed, Medline and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS). Summary of the findings: Slow release clonidine (CLON-XR) was shown to reduce ADHD symptoms, improving the ADHD-RS-IV total score when compared to placebo. Further, CLON-XR proved to be relatively effective and well tolerated, more so than CLON-XR + methylphenidate combined. However, methylphenidate was shown to be more appropriate for monotherapy. In patients who responded inadequately to stimulants alone, CLON-XR + stimulant combined were shown to improve the baseline response. Conclusions: When treating ADHD with a monotherapy approach, methylphenidate is a better option when compared to clonidine. Moreover, combining clonidine and methylphenidate benefits patients who previously responded inadequately to stimulants.
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