RISPERDAL (Risperidone) Receives Approval For New Use
RISPERDAL (Risperidone) is known as schizophrenia medication and also as an effective medicine for bipolar disorder. It has been known today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ratified a new use of Risperdal drug: at this moment Risperidone antipsychotic medication can be prescribed for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder, including symptoms of deliberate self-injury, aggression, temper tantrums, and quickly changing moods, in young patients of 5 to 16 years.
By the way, this is the first time the FDA has approved any drug for use in children and adolescents with autism. This kind of disease may affect 1 in 250 children and can be diagnosed by 3 years. The basic symptoms involve decreased social interactions, communication deficits and stereotypic behaviors or interests.
James McCracken, M.D., director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, a primary investigator and consultant to Janssen, L.P. defines autism as a complex disease. And he persuades that due to the investigation Risperdal bipolar was found to be highly effective in treating children with autism.
Clinical trials of eight weeks involving 156 children proved the efficacy of generic Risperdal in the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder. These clinical studies revealed that patients with irritability associated with autistic disorder who received Risperdal 1mg had evident behavioral symptom improvement versus those who were given placebo.
As for the dosage of Risperdal medication, it should be individualized for children and adolescents based on weight. Risperdal drug is well-tolerated, though there are some adverse events including increase in saliva, constipation, somnolence, fatigue, increase in appetite, upper respiratory tract infection, dry mouth, tremor, dizziness, muscle stiffness, involuntary movements, repetitive behavior, increase in weight, confusion, and rapid heart beat.
It must be noticed that Risperidone drug does not treat the core symptoms; it is effective in treating the associated behavioral disturbances that can interfere with school and learning, and family life.
