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A placebo-controlled study of lofexidine in the treatment of children with tic disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Christian Doppler Klinik Department of Neurology Ignaz-Harrer Strasse 79 5020 Salzburg Austria, helmut.niederhofer{at}uibk.ac.at

Wolfgang Staffen

Alois Mair

Christian Doppler Klinik, Department of Neurology, Salzburg, Austria

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of Lofexidine in treating children with tic disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Subjects from a specialty tic disorders clinic were randomly assigned to receive 8 weeks of treatment with lofexidine or placebo under double-blind conditions. Follow-up visits occurred every 2 weeks for safety monitoring and dose adjustment. Fourty-four medication-free subjects (41 boys and three girls; mean age of 10.4 years) with ADHD, combined type, and a tic disorder participated. After 8 weeks of treatment, lofexidine was associated with a mean improvement of 41% in the total score on the teacher-rated ADHD Rating Scale compared to 7% improvement for placebo. Eleven of 22 subjects who received lofexidine were blindly rated on the Clinical Global Scale-Improvement as either much improved or very much improved compared to none of 22 subjects who received placebo. The mean score on the parent-rated hyperactivity index improved by 29% in the lofexidine group and 18% in the placebo group, which was not a significant difference. On the Continuous Performance Test, commission errors decreased by 25% and omission errors by 20% in the lofexidine group, compared with increases of 33% in commission errors and of 36% in omission errors in the placebo group. Tic severity decreased by 27% in the lofexidine group, compared to 0% in the placebo group. One lofexidine subject with sedation withdrew at week 4. Lofexidine was associated with insignificant decreases in blood pressure and pulse. Lofexidine appears to be a safe and effective treatment for children with tic disorders and ADHD.

Key Words: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder • lofexidine • tic disorder

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 17, No. 1, 113-119 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881103017001714


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