Reboxetine for ADHD?

Main Chapters:

Reboxetine was almost the first norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor on the market - a few years before atomoxetine/Strattera. But after provisionally approving reboxetine, the FDA rejected its use for depression. Now, almost 30 years later, the FDA has indicated that they will likely approve reboxetine for a symptom of narcolepsy - which will mean that US prescribers will be able to write for the medication for ADHD, depression, panic attacks, bulimia, or any condition they have reason to believe it works for. But the debate over whether reboxetine is any good for treating any of these is still open to debate...

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Link to my Substack article on Reboxetine and ADHD:

Follow on Substack for full length articles on this topic and more!

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References:

Reboxetine Treatment Reduces Hippocampal Gliosis in the P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model (2026 Gutiérrez)

FDA Accepts NDA for AXS-12 in Cataplexy Associated With Narcolepsy (7/16/26)

The role of adrenergic neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitors in the ADHD armamentarium (2024, Ilipilla)

Meta-analysis on the efficacy of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors reboxetine and atomoxetine for the treatment of schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (2023, Hu)

Axsome Therapeutics Enters into Exclusive License Agreement with Pfizer Inc. for Pfizer’s Reboxetine Clinical and Nonclinical Data and for New Phase 3 Esreboxetine Product Candidate (2020)

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis (2018, Cipriani)

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A systematic review of reboxetine for treating patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (2014, Ghanizadeh)

Effectiveness of Reboxetine in Treatment of Outpatient Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder with Comorbid Anxiety Disorders (2013, Riahi)

Efficacy of reboxetine in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (2011, Riahi)

Review: reboxetine is ineffective and potentially harmful for acute treatment of major depression (2011, Katzman)

Reboxetine for ADHD in children non-responders or with poor tolerance to methylphenidate: a prospective long-term open-label study (2010, Quintero)

Safety and efficacy of esreboxetine in patients with fibromyalgia: An 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (2010)

Reboxetine versus methylphenidate in treatment of children and adolescents with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (2008, Arabgol)

Dopamine Uptake through the Norepinephrine Transporter in Brain Regions with Low Levels of the Dopamine Transporter: Evidence from Knock-Out Mouse Lines (2002, Morón)

Reboxetine: a pharmacologically potent, selective, and specific norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (2000, Wong)

Full Chapter list:

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