OBJECTIVE:
To assess the effect of escitalopram in the treatment of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs).
METHOD:
This 10-week study had a forced titration, open-label design. Twenty-eight subjects (mean age 125.1 +/- 33.5 months) with a PDD received escitalopram at a dose that increased weekly to a maximum dose of 20 mg as tolerated. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community Version (ABC-CV) and the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI) were used to assess outcome.
Showing posts with label Antidepressants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Antidepressants. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Lexapro for Pervasive Developmental Disorders
An open-label trial of es... [J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005] - PubMed - NCBI
Lexapro for Autism?
A pharmacogenetic study of escitalopram in autism... [Autism Res. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effect of serotonin transporter polymorphism promoter region (5-HTTPLR) genotypic variation (low, intermediate, and high expression groups) on response to escitalopram treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Friday, December 2, 2011
Prozac for Autism?
Prozac May Lessen Autism Symptom in Adults
Dec. 2, 2011 -- The antidepressant Prozac appears to be useful for treating a defining symptom of autism spectrum disorder -- repetitive, compulsive behavior.
In a newly published study involving autistic adults, half of those who took Prozac (fluoxetine) experienced meaningful declines in repetitive behaviors.
More @ http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20111202/prozac-lessens-autism-symptom-adults
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Most meds don't help autism
Most meds don't help autism, studies show
Better studies that show which therapies work best for which children with autism spectrum disorders are needed, because most of the current research used to weigh treatment options today is lacking, according to new research published Monday.
When 1 in 110 children are affected by the same disorder where there's no definitively known cause or effective cure and in many parts of the country insufficient treatment options, determining how to best treat your child can be a huge challenge.
This is what parents of young and older children with autism face every day. People who have this neurological disorder can have multiple symptoms that affect their ability to communicate, impair their social behavior and display repetitive behavior. Many therapies and medications are offered to help patients with this disorder which affects patients for as long as they live, but there's not necessarily a consensus on what works at all or works well.
So the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, decided to take a deeper look at the existing research. The AHRQ recognized that care for adolescents and young adults with autism varies greatly from provider to provider and that the people making decisions about treatment – family and health care professionals – had little solid information on which to judge.
Three studies published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, provide some data from this very large report. One article examines the effectiveness of intense early behavioral therapy in children with ASDs; the two others look at medications that are often prescribed to treat children with autism, with one study focusing specifically on a hormone called secretin. The research was done at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
More at CNN.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Abilify (Aripiprazole) for Autism?
Aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Discmelt) is an atypical antipsychotic and antidepressant used in the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and clinical depression. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for schizophrenia on November 15, 2002, for acute manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder on October 1, 2004, and as an adjunct for major depressive disorder on November 20, 2007.[Wikipedia]
FDA OKs Abilify for autism-linked irritabilityThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved top-selling Abilify as a treatment for autism-related irritability in children from the ages of 6 to 17, drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said Friday.
Bristol-Myers and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., based in Tokyo, are collaborators on the development and distribution of Abilify in the U.S. and Europe.
Abilify is Bristol-Myers' second-biggest revenue generator, with $2.2 billion in 2008 sales.
The FDA's latest approval allows the drug to be used to treat symptoms associated with autism such as aggression toward others, deliberate infliction of self-injury, tempter tantrums and moodiness.
The companies said in a statement that it was intended to be used as part of a more comprehensive treatment program that includes educational, psychological and social aspects.
[FULL ARTICLE]
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Prozac for Autism - Fluoxetine not effective
Autism Speaks Announces Results Reported for the Study of Fluoxetine in Autism (SOFIA) First Industry-Sponsored Trial for the Autism Clinical Trials Network (ACTN)NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 18, 2009) – Autism Speaks today announced initial results reported for the first industry-sponsored trial of the Autism Clinical Trials Network (ACTN), the Study of Fluoxetine in Autism (SOFIA). These results showed that fluoxetine was not effective for reducing repetitive behaviors in children and adolescents with Autistic Disorder as compared to placebo (non-medicinal sugar pill).
The study was carried out in collaboration with study sponsor, Neuropharm Group Plc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on neurodevelopmental disorders.
The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of Neuropharm's new low-dose form of fluoxetine, known as NPL-2008, which is designed specifically for the treatment of Autistic Disorders in children and adolescents. NPL-2008 uses the Zydis® melt-in-the-mouth formula, intended to be an easier form of the medication for children. The study showed that repetitive behaviors were reduced when children were given either NPL-2008 or a placebo, but no differences between groups were found in terms of the level of reduction of repetitive behaviors. Thus, it was concluded that NPL-2008 was not more efficacious than the placebo. The new formulation was generally well tolerated by patients and no serious adverse events were reported.
Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., Autism Speaks' Chief Science Officer remarked, "The development of effective drugs that are easily taken by individuals with autism is an important goal. While it is disappointing that NPL-2008 was not found to be effective for reducing repetitive behaviors, this study does highlight the importance of high quality, rigorously controlled clinical trials. Studies like this help build the evidence-base and offer parents guidance in making more informed decisions about their child's clinical care."
The Autism Speaks ACTN was launched in 2005 to address the need for more thoroughly tested biological treatments for autism. The ACTN provides a platform to rigorously test the safety and efficacy of existing compounds, most of which do not have specific indications or specific dosing instructions for their use in autism. These treatments are prescribed by medical practitioners for "off-label" use.
Fluoxetine is one of the most widely prescribed central nervous system (CNS) drugs for disorders such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has been prescribed "off-label" by physicians to alleviate repetitive behavioral symptoms in autism. Smaller studies in children and adults showed promising results, but there had not been a large scale study of this type to systematically confirm the efficacy of the drug for reducing these behaviors in autism. Currently, there is only one treatment with a specific FDA-approved indication for autism, but it does not target the core symptoms of autism.
The SOFIA study is the largest trial ever conducted in patients with Autistic Disorder. The study was carried out across 19 ACTN medical centers and clinical sites throughout the US. A total of 158 patients between the ages of 5 and 17 were enrolled into the SOFIA study in which patients received either NPL-2008 or placebo during a 14 week treatment period. The full analysis of the primary and secondary data from the study is ongoing.
Peter Bell, Executive Vice President for Programs and Services commented, "Finding safe and effective medications that treat the core symptoms of autism is one of the greatest challenges facing our community. One of our primary goals at Autism Speaks is to help identify effective treatments that lead to improved quality of life for all those affected by autism."
Robert Mansfield, Neuropharm's CEO, stated "These initial results are both unexpected and disappointing, and we await the results of the full analysis which is currently ongoing. We would like to thank Autism Speaks' Autism Clinical Trials Network who facilitated the timely completion of this study and to thank the teams at the sites involved in SOFIA."Related:
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Citalopram (Celexa) Adverse Events Common in Children with Autism?
Adverse Events Common With Citalopram in Children With Autism Disorder: Presented at AACAP
CHICAGO -- November 3, 2008 -- Exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram is associated with adverse effects in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to results of a 5-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study presented here at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) 55th Annual MeetingMORE
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