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Quetiapine in nine youths with autistic disorder
Robert L Findling1, Nora K McNamara, Barbara L Gracious
1Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-5080, USA. Robert.Findling@uhhs.com
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of quetiapine in adolescents suffering from autistic disorder (AD).
Methods:
This was a 12-week, open-label study, for which medically healthy patients with AD between the ages of 10 and 17 years were eligible. Quetiapine treatment was gradually increased over the first 6 weeks of the study, to a total daily dose of 300 mg/day. Doses could then be increased to a maximum daily dose of 750 mg/day. Outcome measures included the Children's Psychiatric Rating Scale (CPRS) and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale.
Results:
Nine (9) males were enrolled. Six (6) patients had previously been treated with other psychotropic agents. Although improvements in several symptom domains were observed on quetiapine, only 2 patients met a priori criteria for response ("much" or "very much improved" on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale). In addition, only these same 2 patients' parents/guardians chose to continue quetiapine pharmacotherapy after study participation.
Conclusions:
These data suggest that quetiapine may not be a particularly effective agent in the treatment of adolescent patients with AD. However, should future studies be performed, it seems reasonable that they be conducted with more rigor, less treatment-resistant cohorts, and, possibly, a different dosing strategy.
