The Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update articles from August 2009

The Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update archives from August 2009

Study finds no evidence supporting use of risperidone for ADHD.(ADHD Treatment)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2009... precis * Research review finds no evidence from randomized controlled trials supporting risperidone to treat ADHD in individuals with intellectual disabilities. * Two studies were excluded because they did not report separate results for a...

Evidence-based review assesses safety of antipsychotics during pregnancy.(Antipsychotics)
August 1, 2009... precis * Evidence-based review suggests no definitive risk for birth defects or other neonatal adverse events with antipsychotic use during pregnancy. * Findings are not conclusive due to scarcity of large, well-designed studies...

Escitalopram treatment in adolescents with major depression.(What's New In Research)(Clinical report)
August 1, 2009... precis * Escitalopram appears to be relatively effective and well tolerated in treating adolescent depression. * There was a modest drug-placebo difference, with both escitalopram and placebo groups demonstrating improvement. * Suicidal...

Pharmacologic treatment of trichotillomania.(What's New In Research)
August 1, 2009... precis * Retrospective chart review finds SSRIs and/or atypical antipsychotics improved symptoms of trichotillomania (TTM) in pediatric patients. * Response was more robust with antipsychotics vs. SSRIs. Treatment with selective...

Citalopram ineffective in autistic spectrum disorders.(What's New In Research)
August 1, 2009... precis * Randomized, controlled trial found citalopram no more effective than placebo in reducing repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders. * Significantly greater likelihood of AEs associated with citalopram than...

Pediatric supplemental new drug applications.(News Notes)
August 1, 2009... The Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) voted in favor of 3 pediatric supplemental new drug applications. The PDAC recommended olanzapine (Zyprexa) as an effective and acceptably safe treatment of schizophrenia, and manic or...

Stimulant medications and risk of sudden death.(News Notes)
August 1, 2009... The results of a matched case-control study indicate that the use of stimulant medications is associated with sudden unexplained death in children and adolescents. Using mortality data from 19851996 vital statistics by US state, 564 cases of...

Effects of high-dose OROS methylphenidate.(News Notes)
August 1, 2009... An open-label study found that high doses ?1.5 mg/kg/day of OROS methylphenidate (MPH) in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder resulted in small but statistically significant increases in diastolic blood pressure and heart...

Escitalopram for movement disorder.(Case Report)
August 1, 2009... Patient: Male, 13 years old Medications: Escitalopram (Lexapro); fluoxetine (Prozac); levalbuterol (Xopenex); topiramate (Topamax); calcium+vitamin D; coenzyme Q10; L-carnitine; medium-chain triglycerides oil; Senna laxative Case: A...

Safety review of ADHD medications.(From the FDA)
August 1, 2009... The FDA cannot conclude that the study data presented by Gould et al., (2009) in the American Journal of Psychiatry "affect the overall risk and benefit profile of stimulant medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in...

New approval.(From the FDA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2009... Lamotrigine extended release (Lamictal XR) was approved as a once-daily, add-on treatment for epilepsy patients 13 years of age or older with partial onset seizures. In a 19-week clinical trial, Lamictal XR significantly reduced seizures in...

Aripiprazole (generic) (brand: abilify).(PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET)(Drug overview)
August 1, 2009... What is aripiprazole? Aripiprazole (Abilify) is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. Antipsychotic medicines are used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia that may include hearing voices, seeing things or sensing things...