Discriminative-stimulus, self-reported, performance, and cardiovascular effects of atomoxetine in methylphenidate-trained humans

Joshua A. Lile, William W. Stoops, Todd M. Durell, Paul E.A. Glaser, Craig R. Rush

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)136-147
Number of pages12
JournalExperimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2006

Keywords

  • Agonist replacement therapy
  • Atomoxetine
  • Drug discrimination
  • Methylphenidate
  • Subjective effects

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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