Treatment approaches in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

• Published in: Brain research bulletin Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 205
• Main Authors: Borison, R L, Ang, L, Hamilton, W J, Diamond, B I, Davis, J M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-08-1983
• Subjects: Amantadine - therapeutic use; Benztropine - therapeutic use; Clonidine - therapeutic use; Fluphenazine - therapeutic use; Haloperidol - adverse effects; Haloperidol - antagonists & inhibitors; Haloperidol - therapeutic use; Humans; Lithium - therapeutic use; Tourette Syndrome - drug therapy; Trifluoperazine - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0361-9230
• DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(83)90192-2

The neurological disorder Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is most often treated with the receptor blocker haloperidol, which also produces multiple side-effects, including the risk for tardive dyskinesia. In placebo control double-blind studies, two other neuroleptic drugs, fluphenazine and trifluoperazine, were found to be as efficaceous as haloperidol, but with fewer side-effects. In other studies, clonidine was shown to be equally efficaceous with haloperidol, but did not produce adverse central nervous system side-effects. To treat the extrapyramidal side-effects accompanying the treatment of Tourette syndrome with neuroleptic agents, amantadine and benztropine were compared in a crossover study. It was demonstrated that amantadine is a superior agent in treating the side effects of haloperidol treatment in Tourette syndrome. The use of lithium was without significant action upon lessening the tics of Tourette syndrome.