Baclofen, STX209 and Autism

Baclofen, STX209 and Autism

One night in 2006, Kathy Roberts rushed her autistic daughter, Jenny, to the hospital. Nothing had been able to stop the young woman, then in her mid-20s, from vomiting. Jenny had recently suffered several major seizures and her entire gastrointestinal system was going haywire.

To try to calm Jenny's GI tract, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital prescribed baclofen, an antispasmodic drug that is also being studied as a potential treatment for alcoholism and other addictions. The drug relieved Jenny's vomiting, but it did something else too — a completely unexpected and welcome side effect.

"Within 24 hours, I saw a change," says Roberts. "Right away, I saw that it was globally calming. I've always described a state that she would get into where it seemed like she wasn't comfortable in her own skin, and was trying to crawl out. I saw that calmed down."

Roberts, founder of the Giant Step school for children with autism in Southport, Conn., called Mark Bear, professor of neuroscience at MIT and advisory board member of Giant Step. In 2005, Bear had co-founded a drug company called Seaside Therapeutics to develop treatments for autism and other developmental disorders. Roberts told Bear about baclofen's effect on her daughter, and a new line of research was born.

In September, Seaside announced positive results from a phase II clinical trial of STX209, an experimental drug that is chemically related to baclofen. In the trial, which was not blinded or placebo controlled, STX209 led to a reduction in agitation and related emotional outbursts in autistic people. Such behavior is common in people with autism — often, a result of anxiety caused by extreme sensory oversensitivity or frustration over being unable to communicate their needs. To cope, autistic people often develop behavioral mechanisms, include tantrums, social withdrawal or repetitive behaviors like rocking or hand flapping.

STX209, while not a cure, appeared to ease anxiety. "We're seeing reductions in a lot of types of outbursts and irritable behavior, along with increased communication and social behavior," says Dr. Randall Carpenter, co-founder, president and CEO of Seaside.


Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/01/how-a-new-version-of-an-old-drug-may-someday-help-treat-autism-and-addiction-too/#ixzz16tSJxkbc

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 irritability

The 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]

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:

• Prozac Study Fails to Show Effective Reduction of Autism Behaviors
• Fluoxetine not effective for autism

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 Meeting

MORE

Rapamycin and Autism

Autism Treatment: Rapamycin - A New Drug to Reverse Autism’s Effects

UCLA researchers have discovered that an FDA-approved drug reverses the brain dysfunction caused by tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); because half of TSC patients also suffer from autism the researchers are hopeful the treatment can address associated learning disorders. The journal Nature Medicine published the findings in its June 22 online edition.

The scientists used the drug rapamycin on mice models of TSC; rapamycin is well-known for targeting an enzyme involved in creating proteins needed for memory. The same enzyme is also regulated by TSC proteins.

“This is the first study to demonstrate that the drug rapamycin can repair learning deficits related to a genetic mutation that causes autism in humans. The same mutation in animals produces learning disorders, which we were able to eliminate in adult mice,” said lead investigator Alcino Silva, professor of neurobiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Our work and other recent studies suggest that some forms of mental retardation can be reversed, even in the adult brain.”

[FULL ARTICLE]

Related:

• Autism Treatment: Rapamycin - A New Drug to Reverse Autism’s Effects
• Autism Vox rapamycin

D-Cycloserine and Autism

Low-Dose D-cycloserine Ineffective for Social Withdrawal Symptoms in Children With Autism: Presented at AACAP

By Laura Gater

CHICAGO, Ill -- October 31, 2008 -- The standard drug treatment in autism is aimed at reducing associated symptoms, such as irritability and hyperactivity. No drugs have been shown to improve core social and community impairment in autism, according to David J. Posey, MD, MS, Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN.

In a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), Dr. Posey also noted that D-cycloserine (DCS) is a partial agonist at the glycine modulatory site of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamatergic receptors. In schizophrenia, DCS had initially shown to improve negative symptoms that have similarities to the social withdrawal in autism. However, a recent large, multisite study failed to confirm these findings.

In a larger, double-blind, parallel-group study, Dr. Posey and colleagues aimed to determine the efficacy of low-dose DCS for social withdrawal in a larger sample of children with autism.

This study was an 8-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of boys and girls aged 3 to 12 years. Patients received either DCS 1.7 mg/kg/day divided into twice-daily doses or matching placebo for 8 weeks.

Primary outcome measures were parent-rated social withdrawal subscales of the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale. Secondary outcome measures were parent-rated ABC and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).

[FULL ARTICLE]

Related:

• Antibiotic Offers Some Hope In Autism Treatment
• D-cycloserine seems to improve social and communication skills in autistic children
• D-Cycloserine in Autism

Oxytocin to treat Autism?

Oxytocin to treat Autism is topic of UC Davis Lecture Nov 12 -Roseville California News

Posted using ShareThis

Related:

• Oxytocin Wikipedia
• Oxytocin Touted As Autism Treatment
• Oxytocin, music of love
• Oxytocin: love potion #9.1
• Autism and Oxytocin
• Social Skills may be Improved with Oxytocin Hormone Treatment
• Oxytocin: The Asocial Cure? (TIME mag)
• TRUST NBC=OXYTOCIN
• NIH: More Studies of Oxytocin for Autism
• Association between the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and autism

Coping With Autism and OCD

Author: Rachel Evans

After yet another display of lining up toys or endlessly performing the same behavior over and over it’s not unusual for parents to wonder if their child may have not one but two disorders - autism and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

).

OCD is a neurological disorder

that causes obsessive thoughts and behaviors and can greatly disrupt a person’s life. There are two main elements to OCD, thoughts or obsessions and compulsions or behaviors.

The obsessions are experienced as thoughts, images or impulses and can be persistent. Whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviors that the sufferer feels compelled to carry out whether they want to or not. The performance of the repetitive behaviors is usually done to reduce distress or to stop a particular event.

It is common for people with an autism spectrum disorder to also display repetitive behaviors and have repetitive thoughts, comparable to those who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a condition that generally makes sufferers feel uncomfortable with their symptoms, and wish that they could get rid of them. On the other hand children with autism are usually unconcerned with their various obsessions or behaviors and may even see them as comforting, increasing the frequency during stressful situations as a calming mechanism.

There are two possible treatments for autism and OCD-like behaviors: behavioral therapy, and medication. Frequently, these two forms of therapy are prescribed together.

The most common kind of medication prescribed for treating OCD behaviors in autistic individuals are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs are antidepressant medications that have also shown to be helpful in reducing OCD behaviors. However, they can come with some serious side effects including an increased risk of suicide. Parents’ whose children are on SSRIs should monitor behaviors closely and report anything out of the ordinary to a medical professional.

Behavioral therapy can be another way to reduce repetitive behaviors, however there is not one treatment that has been found to be consistently effective for all cases of autism. This is due to the fact that no two cases of autism are exactly the same.

Therefore, before a behavioral therapy is selected to deal with autism and OCD symptoms, an IQ test and/or functional cognitive level test will usually be administered. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) works well for lower functioning children or younger children, and Cognitive Behavioral therapy can show good results for higher functioning, more verbal children with autism.

To ensure best results it is often recommended that behavioral treatments and medication be combined. The medication is usually prescribed to help the child become more open to the behavioral therapy. Since behavioral therapy can be challenging - especially as most children don’t see their OCD behaviors as undesirable - medication can make the difference in encouraging children to be open to the suggested changes.

While autism and OCD can occur in the same individual, it is much more common for children with autism to simply display behaviors that are similar to those of OCD, but that are in fact a part of their autism symptoms and not a separate case of obsessive compulsive disorder. Nonetheless, it is believed that autism and OCD based repetitive thoughts and behaviors are quite similar in the early stages of development, but become dissimilar over time as they often serve different functions within the two disorders.

Dealing with autism and OCD at an early age should be prioritized to ensure that regular childhood and life experiences such as early education occurs more smoothly. The fewer obsessive-compulsive symptoms a child with autism has generally, the more positive their educational and life experiences will be.

If you believe your child is suffering from OCD contact your doctor to discuss diagnosis and treatment options.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/coping-with-autism-and-ocd-607336.html

About the Author:

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans’ brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about the different types of autism and whether repetitive behaviors mean your child has autism and OCD.

Autism Medications

No list of autism treatments would be complete without including medications. This seems to be about the only thing neurologists know how to do with autism, try X med or Y med + Z med. Parents of kids with autism often get accused of "experimenting on their kids", but no one experiments more on these kids than neurologists and psychologists. With that said, some of these may help. They do seem to be treating the symptoms in my opinion.

Medication

Medication may be used to treat various symptoms of autism (e.g., attention difficulties, anxiety) and can also be used to treat conditions that may accompany the disorder (e.g., epilepsy).

Depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD), and anxiety may be treated using antidepressants. These drugs often reduce the frequency and intensity of repetitive behavior; decrease irritability, tantrums, and aggression; and improve eye contact and responsiveness. Side effects include headache, insomnia, dizziness, and drowsiness. Medications include the following:

• Amitriptyline (Elavil®)
  
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin®)
  
• Clomipramine (Anafranil®)
  
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox®)
  
• Fluoxetine (Prozac®)
  

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium®), lorazepam (Ativan®), and alprazolam (Xanax®) may also be used to treat behavioral problems. Side effects include drowsiness, fatigue, lack of muscle coordination (ataxia), and dizziness. Discontinuing these drugs after long-term use may cause withdrawal symptoms including:

• Abdominal and muscle pain
  
• Convulsions and tremors
  
• Insomnia
  
• Sweating
  
• Vomiting
  

Antipsychotic medications such as clozapine (Clozaril®), risperidone (Risperdal®), olanzapine (Zyprexa®), and quetiapine (Seroquel®) may decrease hyperactivity, behavioral problems, withdrawal, and aggression in autistic patients. Side effects include the following:

• Agitation
  
• Anxiety
  
• Drowsiness
  
• Dizziness
  
• Headache
  
• Insomnia
  
• Sedation
  

Stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®), amphetamine (Adderall®), and dextroamphetamine (Dexedine®) may also be prescribed for autism. These drugs may increase focus and decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity in high-functioning patients. Prolonged use of stimulants may lead to drug dependence. Side effects are often dose-related and include the following:

• Abdominal pain
  
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
  
• Insomnia
  
• Loss of appetite
  
• Nervousness
  
• Rapid heart rate (tachycardia)