Two drugs test ineffective in treating autism

June 3, 8:53 AMAutism ExaminerBrian Field

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Two new studies have been released that suggest some of the drugs often prescribed to children with autism are actually ineffective. Here in the United States, a government-funded study concluded that the antidepressant Citalopram – sold under the brand name Celexa – was not as effective as the placebos given and actually caused new side effects such as insomnia and increased impulsivity. Across the Atlantic in the U.K., the Neuropharm Group plc failed its Phase III study in attempting to advance the use of a fast-dissolving version of Prozac for treating autism spectrum disorders.

Parents’ longing for pharmacological solutions, and doctors’ responses to these clamorings, have created an array of various drugs prescribed to treat the symptoms of autism. And while global spending on such drugs is estimated between $2.2 to $3.5 billion per year, in the U.S. only risperidone – an antipsychotic – has been given approval by the Food and Drug Administration, prescribed primarily to counteract aggression.

Dr. Bryan King, director of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital and leader of the Celexa study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, said he was shocked to find how ineffective Citalopram actually proved to be and now “would have a healthy dose of skepticism about" prescribing it. Roughly one-third of children in the U.S. today are currently prescribed Citalopram or a close derivative of it.

As autism spectrum disorders have such as wide variety of manifestations, drugs prescribed for one child may be ineffective for another, or induce side-effects. Continued double blind studies that test the capability of new drugs will continue to be an important step in deducing how the brain chemistry and neurology of those with autism functions.