Published online July 1, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 1 July 2005, pp. e74-e80 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-0624)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Spencer, T. J.
Right arrow Articles by Biederman, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Spencer, T. J.
Right arrow Articles by Biederman, J.
Related Collections
Right arrow Neurology & Psychiatry

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Effects of Atomoxetine on Growth After 2-Year Treatment Among Pediatric Patients With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Thomas J. Spencer, MD*, Jeffrey H. Newcorn, MD{ddagger}, Christopher J. Kratochvil, MD§, Dustin Ruff, PhD||, David Michelson, MD||,¶ and Joseph Biederman, MD*

* Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
{ddagger} Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York
§ University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
|| Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, Indiana
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana

Objective. Treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is maintained typically over periods of months or years and, as a result, the potential effects on growth of pharmacotherapy for this disorder have been an area of concern. This meta-analysis examined the effect on growth of atomoxetine, now approved in the United States for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Methods. Patients (N = 412) were 6 to 16 years of age at the start of the treatment period and received atomoxetine treatment (maximal dose: 1.8 mg/kg per day) for ≥2 years. Weight and height measurements were analyzed both as actual values and after conversion to percentiles and z scores with growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Expected weight and height at the end point were calculated through extrapolation from patients' baseline percentiles with the growth charts.

Results. Results indicated that, after 2 years, observed weight and height were close to those predicted on the basis of the patients' baseline weight and height. Weight increased an average of 10.8 kg, a decrease relative to baseline normative weight of 2.7 percentiles, corresponding to 0.87 kg. Height increased an average of 13.3 cm, a decrease relative to baseline normative heights of 2.2 percentiles, corresponding to 0.44 cm. For both weight and height, the quartile of patients who were smallest at baseline had an increase in end-point percentile, whereas patients in the highest quartile had a decrease.

Conclusions. These findings suggested that, at the group level, there was only a minimal effect on height after 2 years of treatment with atomoxetine and, for patients most at risk (the lowest quartile), there seemed to be no effect.

Key Words: atomoxetine • attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder • growth • children • adolescents

Abbreviations: ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder • MTA, Multimodal Treatment Study of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Accepted Dec 29, 2004.