Pharmacotherapy profiles of children with Tic Disorders: A cross- sectional retrospective study

Abstract

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to do a cross-sectional evaluation of treatment preferences in tic disorders in a clinical sample. Method: The hospital records of cases diagnosed with tic disorders who were admitted to our clinic between May 2013 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. SPSS 17.0 program was used to evaluate the data. The level of significance was accepted as p<0.05 Results: Our sample was consisted of 92 children with a mean age of 10.8 +/- 3.2 years. Distribution of diagnosis of tic disorders were as follows: Tic Disorders (TD)-Not Otherwise Specified (46.7%), Tourette Syndrome (23.9%), Chronic Motor TD (20.7%), and Transient TD (8.7%).45.7% of cases had at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder. While most frequently preferred class of psychotropic medications were atypical antipsychotics (33.7%), most frequently prescribed psychotropic medications were aripiprazole, atomoxetine, risperidone, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), methylphenidate, hydroxyzine and haloperidol, respectively by psychiatrists. Predictors of medication use were found to be being an adolescent and having chronic tic disorder (TS or chronic motor TD). Discussion: The frequent preference of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of tic disorders is similar with some treatment guidelines.The use of medications used for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and SSRIs can be explained by treatment of comorbid conditions.Our study is one of the first studies on pharmacotherapy applications in tic disorders from our country. In order to generalize our findings, prospectively planned, multicentered studies with larger samples are needed in children with tic disorders.