Does citalopram help children with autism?
A Citalopram (Cilexa®) study made a big splash in the autism community this month. Citalopram is an antidepressant that has been prescribed off-label for children with autism. Doctors thought it might reduce repetitive behaviors (rocking, hand flapping, etc.) in children with autism. A new study suggests that it probably won’t make a difference. Citalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which is a class of drugs that are FDA-approved for depression. SSRIs are said to be widely prescribed off-label for children with autism, but hard numbers are not known because of the off-label use. They are prescribed off-label for other conditions, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in children. King et al (2009) reported results of a large randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of citalopram with 149 children (5-17 years old). The children had autism, Asperger syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). All of the childr
