Research: A Placebo-Controlled, Fixed-Dose Study of Aripiprazole in Children and Adolescents with Irritability Associated with Autistic Disorder

Authored by Marcus, RN, Owen R., Kamen L., Manos G., McQuade RD, Carson WH, and Aman MG in J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, Volume 48, Issue 11, p. 1110-1119, (2009).

Article summary (posted May 13, 2010):

Aripiprazole may help to treat irritability in children with autism.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole with placebo in terms of being able to reduce irritability in children (aged 6 to 17 years) with autism. This eight week study found that aripiprazole was able to reduce irritability in children with autism. Children who received aripiprazole also had decreased hyperactivity. There was a high placebo response rate of 35% on this study. The authors also note that this was a fixed-dose study and therefore doctors were not able to change the dose of the drug based upon the patient’s response to the drug.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
Abilify (aripiprazole), adolescent, antipsychotic, atypical antipsychotic, autism, controlled study, doctor, double-blind, drug, hyperactivity, irritability, placebo
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