Research: Review of Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents

Authored by Kapetanovic, S., and Simpson G. M. in Expert Opin. Pharmacother, Volume 7, Issue 14, p. 1871-85, (2006).

Article summary (posted Oct 24, 2006):

Antipsychotics have not yet been proven to be effective in children with autism.

Antipsychotics such as chlorpromazine, thioridazine, haloperidol, and risperidone are occasionally used to treat pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) such as autism. The authors reviewed the scientific literature to determine whether these drugs are safe and effective for children with autism. In general, they found that anti-psychotics were ineffective in treating autism. They suggest that non-pharmacological interventions such as behavior modification and applied behavior analysis (ABA) be used to manage disruptive behavior instead of drugs. Moreover, risperidone should only be used in extreme situations as it can cause weight gain. They recommend that the physician consider prescribing anti-anxiety medications fluoxetine and fluvoxamine if the childâ??s aggression appears to be the result of anxiety.

Links:

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).
adolescent, aggressive behavior, antipsychotic, anxiety, applied behavior analysis (ABA), autism, chlorpromazine, doctor, drug, fluvoxamine, Haldol (haloperidol), pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), Prozac - Sarafem (fluoxetine hydrochloride), review article, Risperdal (risperidone), scientific literature, Thorazine (chlorpromazine), weight gain
Share |