RISPERIDONE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH CHRONIC TIC DISORDERS - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Objective: The purpose of this trial was to investigate tile short-ter m safety and efficacy of risperidone in the treatment of chronic tic d isorders in children and adolescents. Method: This was an II-week open -label trial and included seven subjects (five boys and two girls) wit h 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 chi ldren had a comorbid diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Results: Clinical response, as measured by the Yale Global Tic Severi ty Scale and the Children's version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compul sive Scale, revealed a statistically significant reduction in tic scor es ranging from 18% to 66%. One of three children with comorbid OCD sh owed substantial improvement; the other two subjects showed no change. The most frequent side effect was weight gain, which ranged from 8 to 14 lb. Conclusions: Risperidone, a neuroleptic with both serotonin-an d dopamine-blocking properties, appears to be effective in reducing ti c frequency and intensity in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders.