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.2015 May;25(4):362-7.
doi: 10.1089/cap.2014.0122. Epub 2015 Apr 28.

Changing patterns of alpha agonist medication use in children and adolescents 2009-2011

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Changing patterns of alpha agonist medication use in children and adolescents 2009-2011

Alexander G Fiks et al. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol.2015 May.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe rates and patterns of long- and short-acting alpha agonist use for behavioral problems in a primary care population following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the long-acting alpha agonists guanfacine and clonidine.

Methods: Children and adolescents 4-18 years of age, who received an alpha agonist prescription between 2009 and 2011, were identified from a sample of 45 United States primary care practices in two electronic health record-based research networks. Alpha agonist receipt was identified using National Drug Codes and medication names. The proportion of subjects receiving long- and short-acting prescriptions in each year was calculated and examined with respect to reported mental health diagnoses, and whether indications for use were on-label, had evidence from clinical trials, or had no trial evidence.

Results: In a cohort of 282,875 subjects, 27,671 (10%) received any psychotropic medication and only 4,227 subjects (1.5%) received at least one prescription for an alpha agonist, most commonly a short-acting formulation (83%). Only 20% of alpha agonist use was on-label (use of long-acting formulations for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). Most subjects (68%) received alpha agonists for indications with evidence of efficacy from clinical trials but no FDA approval, primarily short-acting formulations for ADHD and autism; 12% received alpha agonists for diagnoses lacking randomized clinical trial evidence in children, including sleep disorders and anxiety, or for which there was no documented mental health diagnosis. Rates of long-acting alpha agonist use increased more than 20-fold from 0.2% to 4%, whereas rates of short-acting alpha agonist use grew only slightly between 2009 and 2011 from 10.6% to 11.3%.

Conclusions: Alpha agonist use was uncommon in this population, and most subjects received short-acting forms for conditions that were off-label, but with clinical trial evidence. The safety and efficacy of use for conditions, including sleep disorders and anxiety, lacking evidence from randomized trials, warrant further investigation.

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Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
(A) Proportion of children receiving psychotropic medication who received alpha agonists in each study year (2009–2011). Note that the proportion of the entire cohort who received any psychotropic medication increased from 7.7% in 2009 to 8.4% in 2011. PM, psychotropic medication; AA, alpha agonist.(B) Change in the proportion of alpha agonist use at each level of evidence over time (2009–2011). AA, alpha agonist.
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