PHARMACOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL ASPECTS OF EFFICACY,
SAFETY AND TOLERABILITY OF ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC
MEDICATION IN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PATIENTS WITH
SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR DISORDERS
LAURA NUSSBAUM1#*, NICOLETA ANDREESCU2#, LAVINIA MARIA HOGEA3#, CĂLIN MUNTEAN4#, RADU ȘTEFĂNESCU5, MARIA PUIU2
1Pedopsychiatry Discipline, Department of Neurosciences, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 E. Murgu Square, Timișoara, Romania
2Genetics Discipline, Microscopic Morphology Department, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 E. Murgu Square, Timișoara, Romania
3 Psychology Discipline, Department of Neurosciences, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 14 T. Vladimirescu
Street, Timișoara, Romania
4 Discipline of Informatics and Medical Biostatistics, Department of Functional Sciences, “Victor Babeș” University of
Medicine and Pharmacy, 14 T. Vladimirescu Street, Timișoara, Romania
5“Titu Maiorescu” University, School of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania
*corresponding author: nussbaumlaura@yahoo.com
#These authors contributed equally to this work and thus share first authorship.
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Abstract:
The treatment plan in child psychosis must be carefully managed. Despite of the increasing use of modern, second generation
antipsychotics in paediatric patients, data on the efficacy, safety and tolerability of these drugs in the paediatric population
are limited. The present research was performed between 2007 and 2015 and includes 90 children and adolescents with a
diagnosis of psychosis - schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Our primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
aripiprazole compared with risperidone. The efficacy of the pharmacotherapy was evaluated through the mean change in the
PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale) total scores and the CGI-S (Clinical Global Impression of Severity) from
baseline. Our results, showing statistically significant differences, prove the efficacy of the 2 atypical antipsychotics in the
paediatric population. Especially aripiprazole showed a high efficacy and safety profile, risperidone being correlated with
more adverse events. The present study represents a step forward, although further research was being needed. The paediatric
psychiatry therapeutic protocols need to be properly adjusted and improved, in order to correspond to the real needs.






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