Conflicting information from TGA versus FDA may undermine compliance with use of medication

Abstract

Conflicting information about treatments is known to undermine compliance with the use of medications.1 The education of patients and caregivers that accompanies prescribing should therefore be as consistent as possible. Clients may conduct research on the internet into particular medicines and try to corroborate “what the doctor said”. In the case of the use of clonidine in children, publicly available information is conflicting. The websites of two regulatory agencies, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, give conflicting information on using this α-2 adrenergic agonist. Doctors in Australia may refer patients to the TGA website for information on clonidine, but in doing so will only provide information on the use of clonidine for hypertension. However, paediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists may use clonidine (following guidance used in other countries) in children and adolescents for diverse beneficial effects in managing attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), outside its TGA-approved use.2