Autism Therapy: fluvoxamine

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Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Pharmacological Treatments for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism, by Broadstock, M., Doughty C., and Eggleston M., published in 2007, summarized Jan 31, 2008

More studies need to be done in order to show the safety and efficacy of drug therapy for the treatment of symptoms of autism.

This review article looked at research on the use of drug therapy to manage symptoms of autism in adolescents and adults. The authors found only five randomized placebo-controlled trials which were well designed to look at whether or not drug therapy works for adolescents and adults with autism. These studies looked at only six drugs: risperidone, naltrexone hydrochloride, fluvoxamine, clomipramine, and haloperidol. Only one of the studies looked at dose effect and found no differences between the different prescribed dosages of risperidone. The authors call for more studies on the benefits of drug therapy for people with autism.


Review of Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents
Expert Opin. Pharmacother, by Kapetanovic, S., and Simpson G. M., published in 2006, summarized 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.


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