Antipsychotic drug improves Tourette’s symptoms in children

Aripiprazole was safe and effective when tested in 302 children and adolescents, but more trials are needed, researchers say

Molecular structure of aripiprazole

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug that has shown promise for the treatment of Tourette’s disorder. But its use has not been systematically analysed in children and adolescents. 

Therefore, researchers from Jiangnan University in China analysed the effectiveness and tolerability of aripiprazole across ten studies involving 302 patients with an average age of 11.6 years. 

They found that symptoms of Tourette’s significantly improved after treatment with aripiprazole by an average of 1.99 points on the Yale Global Tic Severity Score, a 0–50 scale (p=0.001), and 2.34 points on the Clinical Global Impression of Tic Severity score, a 0–7 scale (p=0.001). Common side effects were drowsiness, nausea and headache. 

Writing in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (17 June 2016)[1]
, the researchers conclude that aripiprazole is safe and effective, but more trials are needed.

References

 [1] Yueying L, Hong N, Chunhong W et al. Effectiveness and tolerability of aripiprazole in children and adolescents with Tourette’s disorder: a meta-analysis. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology 2016;26(5):436-41. doi: 10.1089/cap.2015.0125

 

Last updated
Citation
Clinical Pharmacist, CP, September 2016, Vol 8, No 9;8(9):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201502

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