Medical Terminology

atomoxetine

Atomoxetine (Strattera, Attera, Attentin, Axepta, Axetra, Stramox, Tomoxetin) is a non-stimulant medication approved by the U.S. FDA in 2002 to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It belongs to the group of medicines called selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs), and is believed to work by increasing norepinephrine and dopamine. It increases wakefulness, but generally less strongly than the medications which act directly on dopamine. A medication similar to atomoxetine is reboxetine, which is approved in Europe but is not currently approved in the U.S. However, reboxetine was granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) status by the FDA in October 2018 for the treatment of narcolepsy. Read more about atomoxetine at MedlinePlus.gov HERE and on HF’s Treatment web page HERE.