Ziprasidone treatment of children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome: A pilot study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ziprasidone in chil dren and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome and chronic tic disorders. Me thod: Twenty-eight patients aged 7 to 17 years were randomly assigned to zi prasidone or placebo for 56 days. Ziprasidone was initiated at a dose of 5 mg/day and flexibly titrated to a maximum of 40 mg/day. Results: Ziprasidon e was significantly more effective than placebo in reducing the Global Seve rity (p = .016) and Total Tic (p = .008) scores on the Yale Global Tic Seve rity Scale. Compared with placebo, ziprasidone significantly reduced tic fr equencies as determined by blind videotape tic counts (p = .039). The mean (+/-SD) daily dose of ziprasidone during the last 4 weeks of the trial was 28.2 +/- 9.6 mg. Mild transient somnolence was the most common adverse even t. No clinically significant effects were observed on specific ratings of e xtrapyramidal symptoms, akathisia, or tardive dyskinesia. Conclusions: In t his limited sample, ziprasidone (5-40 mg/day) appears to be effective and w ell tolerated in the treatment of Tourette's syndrome. Ziprasidone may be a ssociated with a lower risk of extrapyramidal side effects in children. How ever, additional studies are necessary to evaluate more fully its safety an d efficacy in children with tic disorders.