Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, N.Y., July 26, 2017–A new study assessed the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of extended-release guanfacine in children 6-17 years of age who have chronic tic disorders including Tourette's disorder. Researchers designed the randomized trial to determine whether guanfacine would reduce tic severity compared to placebo and to identify the most common adverse effects of treatment, as described in an article published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology website.
Tanya Murphy, MD, Omar Rahman, and Camille Hanks, from University of South Florida, St. Petersburg; Thomas Fernandez, Allison Gavaletz, Caitlin Tillberg, Laura Ibanez Gomez, Denis Sukhodolsky, and Lily Katsovich, MBA from Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Barbara Coffey, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; and Lawrence Scahill, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, coauthored the article entitled "Extended-Release Guanfacine Does Not Show a Large Effect on Tic Severity in Children with Chronic Tic Disorders."
The researchers reported only a small reduction in tic severity among the group of children who received extended-release guanfacine during the 8-week study period, and no significant difference between the effects of the drug compared to placebo. They described several common adverse effects, including fatigue, dry mouth, and headache.
"This is a disappointing but important finding for physicians treating patients with Tourette's disorder." says Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, editor in chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and president of the Child Mind Institute in New York. "Clinicians are always looking for ways to alleviate disturbing symptoms for their patients. It is essential they are informed when a medication is not more effective than placebo."
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About the Journal
Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to child and adolescent psychiatry and behavioral pediatrics, covering clinical and biological aspects of child and adolescent psychopharmacology and developmental neurobiology. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology)website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Games for Health Journal, and Violence and Gender. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
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Original Source
http://www.liebertpub.com/global/pressrelease/is-extended-release-guanfacine-effective-in-children-with-chronic-tic-disorders/2224/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cap.2017.0024
