Personalization of Pharmacological Treatments for ADHD: Why it is Advisable and Possible Options to Achieve it

Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed primarily in children, although it is also present in adults. Patients present inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity symptoms that create difficulties in their daily lives. Pharmacological treatment with stimulants or non-stimulants is used most commonly to reduce ADHD symptoms. Although generally effective and safe, pharmacological treatments have different effects among patients, including lack of response and adverse reactions. The reasons for these differences are not fully understood, but they may derive from the highly diverse etiology of ADHD. Strategies to guide optimal pharmacological treatment selection based on individual patients' physiological markers are being developed. In this review, we describe the main pharmacological ADHD treatments used and their main drawbacks. We present alternatives under study that would allow the customization of pharmacological treatments to overcome these drawbacks and achieve more reliable improvement of ADHD symptoms.

Keywords: ADHD; Adverse reaction; Atomoxetine; Methylphenidate; Non-responder; Treatment personalization; qEEGguided drug selection.