Research summaries for autism therapy: Haldol (haloperidol)

definition of Haldol (haloperidol): Haldol® is an antipsychotic medication that may be prescribed for some people with autism to help control aggression. Haldol is usually used to control tics and vocal utterances in Tourette’s syndrome and to treat schizophrenia. This medication decreases the neurotransmitter dopamine and may have other effects on the nervous system. Scientists do not yet fully understand how Haldol is able to reduce aggression in people with autism. Haldol can cause noticeable side effects including sleepiness and muscle stiffness.
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The Pharmacologic Treatment of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity in Autism, Summarized Oct 14, 2009

Some medications may improve attention spans and decrease hyperactivity in people with autism.

The author describes clinical trials of drug therapies in autism. Methylphenidate and atomoxetine are both used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These drugs may also help treat ADHD-like symptoms in people with autism. In autism, methylphenidate may work better for hyperactivity, and atomoxetine may work better for attention deficits. Other drug therapies may be helpful for ADHD-like symptoms in autism. Haloperidol, risperidone, clonidine, guanfacine, amntadine, and naltrexone have been researched. All of these drugs have shown improved behaviors in at least one study. However, other studies showed little or no effect of these drugs in autism.

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The Role of Antipsychotics in the Management of Behavioral Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Autism, Summarized Apr 27, 2009

Antipsychotic drugs may help to reduce problem behaviors and improve function in patients with autism.

Treatment of autism requires many approaches: educational, behavioral, and psychosocial. The purpose of this review article is to describe the use of antipsychotic drugs to treat symptoms of autism. The antipsychotics drugs include: haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, clozapine, and quetiapine. Haloperidol has been around for a long time and there are many studies that show haloperidol to be safe and effective. Risperidone is the antipsychotic drug that has been best studied in autism. Read more...

Risperidone versus Haloperidol in Children and Adolescents with AD: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Trial, Summarized Mar 5, 2008

Risperidone may be better than haloperidol in treating behavior problems, impulse problems, and language problems common in children with autism.

This study was designed to see which drug therapy (risperidone or haloperidol) worked better for the treatment of children with autism. The authors found that both risperidone and haloperidol improved many of the behavior symptoms of autism. Both drugs also improved social skills. Many of the children who received haloperidol had the side effect of shaky hands. Many of the children who received risperidone had weight gain. The study had only 30 children (aged 8 -18). Read more...

Oxcarbazepine in Youths with Autistic Disorder and Significant Disruptive Behaviors, Summarized Feb 27, 2008

The drug oxcarbazepine may help with some of the problem behaviors that may come with autism.

Psychiatrists often see people with autism because of problem behaviors. This case report describes three patients (aged 4.5-19) with autism who received drug therapy (oxcarbazepine) to treat problem behaviors. The patients were also all receiving behavior therapy such as applied behavior analysis (ABA). The author suggests that oxcarbazepine may have fewer side effects than risperidone and haloperidol. Oxcarbazepine is also good because it comes in liquid form. Read more...

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Synonyms for Haldol (haloperidol) include: Haldol, Haldol®, haloperidol
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