An open-label trial of escitalopram in pervasive developmental disorders

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005 Apr;44(4):343-8. doi: 10.1097/01.chi.0000153229.80215.a0.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of escitalopram in the treatment of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs).

Method: This 10-week study had a forced titration, open-label design. Twenty-eight subjects (mean age 125.1 +/- 33.5 months) with a PDD received escitalopram at a dose that increased weekly to a maximum dose of 20 mg as tolerated. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community Version (ABC-CV) and the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI) were used to assess outcome.

Results: There was significant improvement in ABC-CV Irritability Subscale Scores (baseline mean 20.5 +/- 5.9 to final mean 10.9 +/- 7.2; p < or = .001) and in the other ABC-CV Subscales. Improvement on Clinical Global Improvement Scale severity rating was also significant (baseline mean 5.2 +/- 1.0 to final mean 4.6 +/- 1.2; p < or = .001). Twenty-five percent of the subjects responded at a dose less than 10 mg and did not tolerate the 10-mg dose, and an additional 36% responded at a dose greater than or equal to 10 mg. Final dose was unrelated to weight and only weakly correlated with age.

Conclusions: This open-label study found escitalopram to be useful in treating some difficulties common in PDDs. A wide variability in dose was found that could not be accounted for by weight and only partially by age. The study provides information useful for the design of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of escitalopram in PDDs.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Autistic Disorder / drug therapy
  • Child
  • Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / drug therapy*
  • Citalopram / administration & dosage*
  • Citalopram / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / administration & dosage*
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / pharmacology

Substances

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Citalopram