ATOMOXETINE: KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF ITS RISKS AMONG PHARMACY STUDENTS

Background: Atomoxetine is a non-stimulant medication approved for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and carries a boxed warning for increased risk of suicidal ideation in pediatric patients. Because pharmacists play a key role in medication safety and patient counseling, early understanding of medication risks is essential during pharmacy education. The objective of this study was to assess pharmacy students’ knowledge and perceptions regarding atomoxetine-associated risks and boxed warnings and to evaluate whether demographic characteristics were associated with differences in knowledge or opinion responses. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to first-year pharmacy students enrolled in a Drug Informatics course at a college of pharmacy. The survey included demographic questions, four opinion-based questions, and five knowledge-based questions related to atomoxetine safety. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square analyses were performed to assess associations between demographic characteristics and survey responses, with significance defined as p < 0.05. Results: A total of 56 students completed demographic questions, and 44 completed the survey items. Students demonstrated strong recognition of major atomoxetine risks, including cardiovascular effects (90.9%), but showed lower performance in more nuanced areas such as monitoring requirements and glaucoma risk (61.4% each). No statistically significant associations were observed between demographic characteristics and survey responses (all p-values > 0.05). Conclusion: Pharmacy students demonstrated baseline awareness of major atomoxetine risks but showed knowledge gaps in more nuanced safety considerations. These findings suggest continued reinforcement of medication safety education may improve pharmacy students’ preparedness for clinical practice.