Risperidone in Adults with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Abstract

Preliminary evidence is presented for the possible clinical value of risperidone in the treatment of 3 adults with autistic disorder or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Two males (ages 20 and 31 years) with autistic disorder and one female (age 44 years) with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified showed significant improvement in social relatedness, repetitive thoughts and behavior, and impulsive aggression with risperidone treatment (2-8 mg daily). Clinical improvement has been maintained for a minimum of 1 year in all 3 cases. These findings are consistent with previous evidence suggesting that serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission may be relevant to the treatment and possibly the pathophysiology of some symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders.

Assessment and Treatment of Obsessions and Compulsions in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Review

“…A retrospective case series with three adults found decreases from baseline in compulsive behavior following treatment with risperidone (McDougle et al 1995a). Following this study, McDougle et al (1998) reported a RCT in which they randomized 31 adults with ASD to 12 weeks of risperidone or placebo.…”

“…RCTs treating OCD symptoms among participants with ASD, 11 studies (Hollander et al 2005(Hollander et al , 2006aKing et al 2009;Martin et al 1999Martin et al , 2003McDougle et al 1997McDougle et al , 2000McDougle et al , 2005Posey et al 2007;Stigler et al 2009) evaluated interventions for children and adolescents (<18 years), 6 studies (McDougle et al 1995a(McDougle et al , 1996(McDougle et al , 1998Buchsbaum et al 2001;Hollander et al 2003Hollander et al , 2012 evaluated treatment for adults, and 2 studies (Gordon et al 1993;Potenza et al 1999) included both children and adults. None included participants with a formal diagnosis of OCD.…”

A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Risperidone in Adults With Autistic Disorder and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders

“…Results from the open-label use of risperidone in the treatment of children and adolescents, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] as well as adults [23][24][25][26] with PDDs, have been reported. Typically, these studies have described reductions in irritability, impulsivity, hyperactivity, self-injury, aggression, and interfering repetitive behavior, along with improvement in some elements of social function and communication.…”

Short- and long-term efficacy and safety of risperidone in adults with disruptive behavior disorders

“…Risperidone has been studied extensively in managing disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents (Aman et al 2002;Buitelaar 2000;Findling et al 1997Findling et al , 2000McDougle et al 1997;Nicolson et al 1998;Santosh and Baird 1999;Snyder et al 2002;Turgay et al 2002;Van Bellinghen and De Troch 2001). A handful of case reports and a small double-blind study suggest that risperidone is beneficial for managing aggression in adult patients with pervasive developmental disorders, such as autism, and varying degrees of intellectual disability (Cohen et al 1998;Dartnall et al 1999;McDougle et al 1995;Purdon et al 1994;Simon et al 1996;Vanden Borre et al 1993;Zarcone et al 2001).…”