Transient Mydriasis under Atomoxetine Treatment: Case Report and Brief Overview of the Literature

Background

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is considered to affect about 5% of the child, adolescent, and adult population [1]. In most cases, ADHD is treated with a combination of behavior therapy and/or medications (i.e., stimulant and non-stimulants drugs) [2]. Atomoxetine (Strattera^®), a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor manufactured by Eli Lilly, is a non-stimulant approved medication to treat ADHD [3]. Atomoxetine is commonly used and, around the world, Eli Lilly reported sales of US$885 million in 2016 worldwide (http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-report/10-strattera).

With atomoxetine being a selective presynaptic norepinephrine inhibitor, it has been speculated that atomoxetine could result in an increase in synaptic norepinephrine concentration leading to contraction of the iris dilator radial smooth muscle fibers and mydriasis [4]. This paper reports the case of a possible atomoxetine-induced mydriasis in a child with ADHD.

• References

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