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Lara · 10-13-2006, 01:19 AM

I'll just put these here too, 'cause there's a few things in them that might be helpful.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

Quote:

1: Hum Psychopharmacol. 2006 Oct 9;21(7):447-453
[Epub ahead of print]

A case series of patients with Tourette's syndrome in the United Kingdom treated with aripiprazole.

* Davies L,
* Stern JS,
* Agrawal N,
* Robertson MM.

St George's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Atkinson Morley Wing, Blackshaw Rd, London, SW17-0QT, UK.

OBJECTIVE: These cases illustrate that a new neuroleptic, aripiprazole, may be an effective treatment for the motor and vocal tics of Tourette Syndrome (TS), even in younger people. METHOD: A case series of 11 consecutive patients with TS (age range 7-50 years; M = 7) who were felt to require neuroleptic medication, were treated with aripiprazole, the majority of whom had been refractory to treatment with other neuroleptics, and in one case, Habit Reversal Training as well. RESULTS: Ten out of the 11 patients who were treated with aripiprazole improved, although to differing degrees. The only individual who showed no response was treated for only 1 month with a low dose (5 mg). Eight of the patients had been treated with many typical and atypical neuroleptics without success, and which had also given unacceptable side effects, resulting in them being unable to function at times. One was also unresponsive to previous Habit Reversal Training. The response to aripiprazole was dramatic and quick in five patients; in the rest (5/10) the response was less dramatic. In the majority of patients, response was sustained. The successful aripiprazole doses were between 10-20 mg daily. Side effects were mild and transient. This, to the best of our knowledge, is the first case series of patients with TS successfully treated with aripiprazole in the United Kingdom, and one of the few to date in the English Scientific literature. Our patients are also the first cases reported, in which the patients were assessed and whose improvement was monitored using standardised schedules and rating scales, such as the Yale Global Tic Severity Rating Scale and MOVES. Aripiprazole was licensed for use in patients with schizophrenia in the European Union in June 2004. We discuss possible reasons for these dramatic and idiosyncratic responses to aripiprazole. CONCLUSION: We suggest that aripiprazole may well be useful for individuals with TS as response to it is often quick, dramatic, sustained and with few generally mild and transient side effects. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID: 17029306 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ajhp.org/cgi/content/abstract/60/23/2437

Quote:

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy,
Vol 60, Issue 23, 2437-2445
Aripiprazole
E Winans

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, drug interactions, and dosage and administration of aripiprazole are discussed. Aripiprazole is a third-generation antipsychotic agent indicated for use in the treatment of schizophrenia. Unlike other antipsychotics, aripiprazole demonstrates mixed D2 and serotonin (5-HT1A) receptor agonist-antagonist activity that is hypothesized to improve schlzophrenia's positive and negative symptoms; the drug has been referred to as a dopamine-serotonin stabilizer. Aripiprazole is well absorbed, with peak plasma concentrations occurring within three to five hours after administration. The oral availability is 87%. The mean elimination half-life is about 75 hours for aripiprazole and 94 hours for its active metabolite. In controlled, randomized, multicenter trials, aripiprazole has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia comparable to that of haloperidol and superior to placebo. In a single clinical trial, aripiprazole was superior to placebo in the treatment of acute mania. The most frequent adverse effects are headache, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, and lightheadedness. Because aripiprazole is a substrate of both cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes 3A4 and 2D6, there is a potential for other drugs to affect its metabolism. The recommended starting dosage is 10 or 15 mg daily, preferably administered with meals. Aripiprazole offers an alternative to second-generation antipsychotic agents in the treatment of schizophrenia.

EDITED TO NOTE: This last article above is really regarding treatment in schizophrenia. I didn't post it because of the doses list, I posted it because it shows how abilify is metabolized and that's handy to know. Doses for treatment of tics in Tourette Syndrome is usually much lower than doses used to treat schizophrenia.