SIDE EFFECTS

STRATTERA was administered to 2067 children or adolescent patients with ADHD and 270 adults with ADHD in clinical studies. During the ADHD clinical trials, 169 patients were treated for longer than 1 year and 526 patients were treated for over 6 months.

The data in the following tables and text cannot be used to predict the incidence of side effects in the course of usual medical practice where patient characteristics and other factors differ from those that prevailed in the clinical trials. Similarly, the cited frequencies cannot be compared with data obtained from other clinical investigations involving different treatments, uses, or investigators. The cited data provide the prescribing physician with some basis for estimating the relative contribution of drug and non-drug factors to the adverse event incidence in the population studied.

Child and Adolescent Clinical Trials

Reasons for discontinuation of treatment due to adverse events in child and adolescent clinical trials ¾ In acute child and adolescent placebo-controlled trials, 3.5% (15/427) of atomoxetine subjects and 1.4% (4/294) placebo subjects discontinued for adverse events. For all studies, (including open-label and long-term studies), 5% of extensive metabolizer (EM) patients and 7% of poor metabolizer (PM) patients discontinued because of an adverse event. Among STRATTERA-treated patients, aggression (0.5%, N=2); irritability (0.5%, N=2); somnolence (0.5%, N=2); and vomiting (0.5%, N=2) were the reasons for discontinuation reported by more than 1 patient.

Commonly observed adverse events in acute child and adolescent, placebo-controlled trials ¾ Commonly observed adverse events associated with the use of STRATTERA (incidence of 2% or greater) and not observed at an equivalent incidence among placebo treated patients (STRATTERA incidence greater than placebo) are listed in Table 1 for the BID trials. Results were similar in the QD trial except as shown in Table 2, which shows both BID and QD results for selected adverse events. The most commonly observed adverse events in patients treated with STRATTERA (incidence of 5% or greater and at least twice the incidence in placebo patients, for either BID or QD dosing) were: dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, appetite decreased, dizziness, and mood swings (see Tables 1 and 2).

Table 1: Common Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events Associated with the Use of
STRATTERA in Acute (up to 9 weeks) Child and Adolescent Trials
Adverse Event1
Percentage of Patients Reporting Events from BID Trials
STRATTERA
(N=340)
Placebo
(N=207)
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Abdominal pain upper
20
16
Constipation
3
1
Dyspepsia
4
2
Vomiting
11
9
Infections
Ear infection
3
1
Influenza
3
1
Investigations
Weight decreased
2
0
Metabolism and Nutritional Disorders
Appetite decreased
14
6
Nervous System Disorders
Dizziness (exc vertigo)
6
3
Headache
27
25
Somnolence
7
5
Psychiatric Disorders
Crying
2
1
Irritability
8
5
Mood swings
2
0
Respiratory, Thoracic, and Mediastinal Disorders
Cough
11
7
Rhinorrhea
4
3
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders
Dermatitis
4
1

1Events reported by at least 2% of patients treated with atomoxetine, and greater than placebo. The following events did not meet this criterion but were reported by more atomoxetine-treated patients than placebo-treated patients and are possibly related to atomoxetine treatment: anorexia, blood pressure increased, early morning awakening, flushing, mydriasis, sinus tachycardia, tearfulness. The following events were reported by at least 2% of patients treated with atomoxetine, and equal to or less than placebo: arthralgia, gastroenteritis viral, insomnia, sore throat, nasal congestion, nasopharyngitis, pruritus, sinus congestion, upper respiratory tract infection.

 

 

Table 2: Common Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events Associated with the Use of
STRATTERA in Acute (up to 9 weeks) Child and Adolescent Trials
Adverse Event
Percentage of Patients
Reporting Events from
BID Trials
Percentage of Patients
Reporting Events from
QD Trials
STRATTERA
(N=340)
Placebo
(N=207)
STRATTERA
(N=85)
Placebo
(N=85)
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Abdominal pain upper
20
16
16
9
Constipation
3
1
0
0
Diarrhea
3
6
4
1
Dry mouth
1
2
4
1
Dyspepsia
4
2
8
0
Nausea
7
8
12
2
Vomiting
11
9
15
1
General Disorders
Fatigue
4
5
9
1
Psychiatric Disorders
Mood swings
2
0
5
2

The following adverse events occurred in at least 2% of PM patients and were either twice as frequent or statistically significantly more frequent in PM patients compared with EM patients: decreased appetite (23% of PMs, 16% of EMs); insomnia (13% of PMs, 7% of EMs); sedation (4% of PMs, 2% of EMs); depression (6% of PMs, 2% of EMs); tremor (4% of PMs, 1% of EMs); early morning awakening (3% of PMs, 1% of EMs); pruritus (2% of PMs, 1% of EMs); mydriasis (2% of PMs, 1% of EMs).