Aripiprazole in children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder: an open-label safety and tolerability study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to conduct a prospective safety and tolerability study of aripiprazole for the treatment of tics in children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder (TD).

METHOD:

Eleven subjects (10 males) with TD (age 9-19 years, mean 13.36, standard deviation [SD] 3.33) who did not respond or were unable to tolerate previous tic medication were treated with aripiprazole in an open-label, flexible-dosing study over 10 weeks. Tic severity was rated using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the Clinical Global Impressions Scale for tics (CGI-Tics) at baseline and at follow-up.

RESULTS:

The mean (+/-SD) daily dose for aripiprazole was 4.5 +/- 3.0 mg. Mean (+/-SD) YGTSS Global Severity scores reduced from 61.82 +/- 13.49 at baseline to 33.73 +/- 15.18 at end point; mean YGTSS total tic scores reduced from 28.18 +/- 7.74 at baseline to 16.73 +/- 7.54 at end point. Mean (+/-SD) CGI-Tic severity scores reduced from 4.45 +/- 0.52 (moderate-marked) at baseline to 3.18 +/- 0.60 (mild) at end point. On the CGI-Tic improvement scale, 10 (91%) subjects achieved 1 ("very much improved") or 2 ("much improved") at end point. Most common adverse effects included appetite increase and weight gain in 5 subjects, mild extrapyramidal effects in 7 subjects, and headaches and tiredness/fatigue in 7 subjects; 1 subject experienced akathisia and muscle cramps.

CONCLUSION:

Aripiprazole appears to be a safe and tolerable treatment in children and adolescents with TD that appears to reduce tics; it should be further investigated as a treatment option in controlled trials.

• Authors: Gholson J Lyon, Stephanie Samar, Rahil Jummani, Scott Hirsch, Arie Spirgel, Rachel Goldman, Barbara J Coffey
• Journal: Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology (J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol) Vol. 19 Issue 6 Pg. 623-33 (Dec 2009) ISSN: 1557-8992 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20035580 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Piperazines
• Quinolones
• Aripiprazole
• Prolactin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Antipsychotic Agents (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Aripiprazole
• Body Weight (drug effects)
• Child
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Piperazines (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Prolactin (metabolism)
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Quinolones (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Tics (drug therapy)
• Tourette Syndrome (drug therapy)
• Treatment Outcome
• Young Adult