Risperidone treatment of children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: a preliminary report

PJ Lombroso, L Scahill, RA King, KA Lynch… - Journal of the American …, 1995 - Elsevier
PJ Lombroso, L Scahill, RA King, KA Lynch, PB Chappell, BS Peterson, CJ McDOUGLE…
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1995Elsevier
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this trial was to investigate the short-term safety and efficacy of
risperidone in the treatment of chronic tic disorders in children and adolescents. Method:
This was an 11-week open-label trial and included seven subjects (five boys and two girls)
with a mean age of 12.9±1.9 years. The sample included five patients with Tourette's
syndrome and two with chronic motor tic disorder. The children were seen at baseline and
for two follow-up visits. Three children had a comorbid diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive …
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this trial was to investigate the short-term safety and efficacy of risperidone in the treatment of chronic tic disorders in children and adolescents.
Method
This was an 11-week open-label trial and included seven subjects (five boys and two girls) with a mean age of 12.9 ± 1.9 years. The sample included five patients with Tourette's syndrome and two with chronic motor tic disorder. The children were seen at baseline and for two follow-up visits. Three children had a comorbid diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
RESULTS
Clinical response, as measured by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Children's version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, revealed a statistically significant reduction in tic scores ranging from 18% to 66%. One of three children with comorbid OCD showed substantial improvement; the other two subjects showed no change. The most frequent side effect was weight gain, which ranged from 8 to 14 Ib.
CONCLUSIONS
Risperidone, a neuroleptic with both serotonin- and dopamine-blocking properties, appears to be effective in reducing tic frequency and intensity in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1995, 34, 9:1147–1152.
Elsevier