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A pilot clinical trial of oxcarbazepine in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Davids E, Kis B, Specka M, Gastpar M

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rhine Clinics Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Virchowstr. 174, 45147 Essen, Germany. eugen.davids@uni-essen.de

Despite the increasing recognition of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, there is a paucity of controlled pharmacological trials. Recent reports have suggested the potential usefulness of mood stabilizing drugs for ADHD. To this end, the authors completed a pilot study with oxcarbazepine for the treatment of adults with ADHD. This was an open pilot study of oxcarbazepine (300-1,500 mg daily dosage) in adults who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. The treatment period was 8 weeks. Of the 9 subjects enrolled in the study (4 men, 5 women), 8 patients could be included in the analysis. At the endpoint of the active treatment, a significantly high proportion of subjects was considered improved while receiving oxcarbazepine. ADHD symptom checklist scores (ADHD-IV rating scale, Conners ADHD adult rating scale, ADHD self-rating [ADHD-SR] scale) showed significant reduction during the treatment period. Treatment with oxcarbazepine was relatively well tolerated; dizziness, sedation and nausea were the most frequently reported adverse effects. The results of this investigation indicate that oxcarbazepine may be a potentially useful agent for the treatment of ADHD in adults. However, placebo-controlled randomized trials are needed to provide evidence.

Published 3 July 2006 in Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 30(6): 1033-8.
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