Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145:621-624
Copyright © 1988 by American Psychiatric Association
Subtle and underrecognized side effects of neuroleptic treatment in children with Tourette's disorder
RD Bruun
Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical School, New York.
A variety of side effects developed in children treated with neuroleptics
for Tourette's disorder. Of 208 children, 34 manifested dose-related
symptoms of dysphoria, nine experienced a worsening of symptoms of
Tourette's disorder that was attributed to akathisia, five became hostile
and aggressive, three developed "fog states" that disappeared with
discontinuation of neuroleptics or treatment with primidone, and three
experienced symptoms of tardive dyskinesia that resolved with time. This
data base of neuroleptic-treated children with Tourette's disorder
demonstrates a variety of subtle and underrecognized side effects that may
not be as readily discernible in children receiving neuroleptics for a
primary psychiatric disorder.
