title: Tolerability profile of aripiprazole in patients with Tourette syndrome.
abstract: Over the last few years, aripiprazole has been proposed as a potentially useful medication for tics in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS). Aripiprazole has been associated with fewer adverse effects compared with other atypicals; however, little is known about its tolerability profile in the TS population. This study assessed the prevalence and characteristics of adverse effects resulting from the use of aripiprazole in a retrospective chart review of 29 patients with TS. Six patients (20.7%) discontinued aripiprazole because of the severity of specific adverse effects. The most commonly reported adverse effects were sedation (n = 9, 30%) and sleep problems (n = 5, 17%). In the majority of cases, adverse effects were not severe. There were no differences in demographic or clinical variables between the patients who did or did not experience adverse effects. The discontinuation rate of 20.7% suggests that aripiprazole is safe and reasonably well tolerated for use in TS. The prevalence of adverse effects appears to increase with treatment duration.
authors.affiliation: Michael Trimble Neuropsychiatry Research Group, BSMHFT and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. a.cavanna@ion.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Andrea E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Cavanna
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Selvini
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Termine
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luoni
authors.forename: Clare M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Eddy
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rickards
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068180:Aripiprazole; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010879:Piperazines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015363:Quinolones / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D010879:Piperazines; D015363:Quinolones; D000068180:Aripiprazole