TY - JOUR
T1 - Discriminative-stimulus, self-reported, performance, and cardiovascular effects of atomoxetine in methylphenidate-trained humans
AU - Lile, Joshua A.
AU - Stoops, William W.
AU - Durell, Todd M.
AU - Glaser, Paul E.A.
AU - Rush, Craig R.
PY - 2006/5
Y1 - 2006/5
N2 - Atomoxetine is marketed as a nonstimulant medication indicated for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults. Previous laboratory research suggests that atomoxetine has limited abuse potential but that some of its behavioral effects might overlap with traditional psychomotor stimulants like methylphenidate and d-amphetamine. A drug with this profile might be useful for the treatment of stimulant dependence. The aim of this experiment was to compare the discriminative-stimulus and self-reported effects of atomoxetine with methylphenidate, damphetamine, and triazolam in humans who had acquired a methylphenidate (30 mg) discrimination. Six healthy subjects with a recent history of nontherapeutic stimulant use were enrolled in this outpatient study. After subjects acquired the methylphenidate discrimination, a range of doses of methylphenidate (5-30 mg), atomoxetine (15-90 mg), d-amphetamine (2.5-15 mg), triazolam (0.06-0.375 mg), and placebo were tested. To more fully characterize the behavioral effects of atomoxetine, a battery of self-reported drug-effect questionnaires, a performance task, and cardiovascular assessments were also included. Methylphenidate and d-amphetamine increased drug-appropriate responding and produced typical stimulant-like effects (e.g., increased ratings of "Active, Alert, Energetic"). Atomoxetine partially substituted for methylphenidate (i.e., 33%-50%) and produced some dose-dependent, stimulant-like, subject-rated drug effects, although the magnitude of these effects was less than d-amphetamine and methylphenidate and generally did not attain statistical significance. These data suggest that the behavioral effects of atomoxetine overlap to a small degree with psychomotor stimulants and that it has low abuse potential.
AB - Atomoxetine is marketed as a nonstimulant medication indicated for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults. Previous laboratory research suggests that atomoxetine has limited abuse potential but that some of its behavioral effects might overlap with traditional psychomotor stimulants like methylphenidate and d-amphetamine. A drug with this profile might be useful for the treatment of stimulant dependence. The aim of this experiment was to compare the discriminative-stimulus and self-reported effects of atomoxetine with methylphenidate, damphetamine, and triazolam in humans who had acquired a methylphenidate (30 mg) discrimination. Six healthy subjects with a recent history of nontherapeutic stimulant use were enrolled in this outpatient study. After subjects acquired the methylphenidate discrimination, a range of doses of methylphenidate (5-30 mg), atomoxetine (15-90 mg), d-amphetamine (2.5-15 mg), triazolam (0.06-0.375 mg), and placebo were tested. To more fully characterize the behavioral effects of atomoxetine, a battery of self-reported drug-effect questionnaires, a performance task, and cardiovascular assessments were also included. Methylphenidate and d-amphetamine increased drug-appropriate responding and produced typical stimulant-like effects (e.g., increased ratings of "Active, Alert, Energetic"). Atomoxetine partially substituted for methylphenidate (i.e., 33%-50%) and produced some dose-dependent, stimulant-like, subject-rated drug effects, although the magnitude of these effects was less than d-amphetamine and methylphenidate and generally did not attain statistical significance. These data suggest that the behavioral effects of atomoxetine overlap to a small degree with psychomotor stimulants and that it has low abuse potential.
KW - Agonist replacement therapy
KW - Atomoxetine
KW - Drug discrimination
KW - Methylphenidate
KW - Subjective effects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33745634621&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33745634621&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/1064-1297.14.2.136
DO - 10.1037/1064-1297.14.2.136
M3 - Article
C2 - 16756417
AN - SCOPUS:33745634621
SN - 1064-1297
VL - 14
SP - 136
EP - 147
JO - Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
JF - Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
IS - 2
ER -