A systematic review of reboxetine for treating patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Background: No published systematic review has ever assessed the efficacy and safety of reboxetine for treating of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Aim: This systematic review aimed to review the available evidence regarding the efficacy of reboxetine for treating ADHD. Method: The databases of Pubmed/Medline, Google scholar, SCOPUS and Web of Science were searched using the Keywords: reboxetine, ADHD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The reference lists of the included studies were screened to find any possible other relevant articles. All the non-controlled and controlled clinical trials were included. Results: The current evidence mainly consists of un-controlled studies, such as case series. Only three of 33 studies were controlled clinical trials. They are from single sites and included a sub-sample of patients with ADHD. Conclusion: Non-controlled studies and controlled trials support the promising effect of reboxetine for treating ADHD in a sub-sample of patients that are without co-morbid psychiatric disorder and mental retardation. Reboxetine is tolerated well. However, more controlled trials are needed to reach any firm conclusion.