Amlodipine for ADHD?
October 12, 2025
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1:11:31Weekly Q&A: Can Creatine Help Your Brain? / ADHD Freeze and Stuck States
13:37Now PlayingAmlodipine for ADHD?
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Antihypertensive agents, that lower elevated blood pressure, have been associated with better brain health, including lower rates of developing, and slower progression of, dementia. The alpha-2 agonist centrally acting antihypertensives guanfacine (Intuniv) and clonidine have been show to reduce ADHD symptoms.
A recent (February 2025) set of experiments by an international team lead by U. Iceland researcher Karl Karlsson has shown that amlodipine, a calcium channel antihypertensive, can enter the frontal cortex and affect neural circuitry. The team has been looking at existing medications that might be repurposed for treating ADHD. In rat and zebrafish models of ADHD it improves attention and lowers both hyperactivity and impulsivity. Genetic studies suggest that amlodipine's impact on several calcium channel subunit proteins may mediate its effect on ADHD. A genome wide analysis indicated that among those at high genetic risk for ADHD, amlodipine was associated with lower impulsivity and mood volatility.
While we lack any direct studies looking at the impact of amlodipine to treat ADHD, this is a widely used medication with a low side effect risk profile, so it should be easy to quickly design and approve such studies to show whether amlodipine will become a new alternative medication strategy.
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References:
Validation of L-type calcium channel blocker amlodipine as a novel ADHD treatment through cross-species analysis, drug-target Mendelian randomization, and clinical evidence from medical records (2025)
Blood pressure and the brain: the conundrum of hypertension and dementia (2024)
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Psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author John Kruse, MD, PhD presents practical, actionable, well-researched information about treatment options that scientists and clinicians recommend for adult ADHD and other mental health conditions.
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