Guanfacine Appears Safe for Pediatric Anxiety

Extended-release guanfacine appears safe, well tolerated, and potentially effective in children and adolescents with anxiety disorder, suggests a pilot study in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Researchers recommended further clinical testing of the controlled-release alpha-2 agonist in pediatric patients with anxiety.

"The safety of guanfacine in this patient population is the first step in potentially developing an additional psychopharmacological treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders," said journal editor-in-chief Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, president of the Child Mind Institute in New York.

The study compared the effects of guanfacine (1 mg to 6 mg daily) with placebo in 83 participants, ages 6 to 17, over 12 weeks. The children and adolescents had a diagnosis of general, separation-related, or social anxiety disorder. Researchers looked at heart rate, blood pressure, suicidal thoughts and behavior, and multiple measures of anxiety.

Recognizing and Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The study found no remarkable adverse effects linked with guanfacine use. Changes in heart rate and blood pressure were similar between treatment groups, researchers reported. Adverse events (including headache, somnolence/fatigue, abdominal pain, and dizziness) were consistent with the drug’s known safety profile.

Although score changes did not differ between treatment groups on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), a higher proportion of children receiving guanfacine scored 2 or less on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale at the study’s end, compared with children receiving placebo.

In addition to pediatric anxiety, the researchers suggested potential for the drug in treating children with other disorders and co-occurring anxiety symptoms, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and tic disorders.

 —Jolynn Tumolo

Reference

Strawn JR, Compton SN, Robertson B, Albano AM, Hamdani M, Rynn MA. Extended release guanfacine in pediatric anxiety disorders: a pilot, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2017;27(1):29-37.

Guanfacine is safe and well-tolerated in children and adolescents with anxiety disorder [press release]. New Rochelle, NY: Mary Ann Liebert Inc.; March 1, 2017.