Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Sep;39(9):1339-49.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0750-3. Epub 2009 May 12.

A longitudinal investigation of psychotropic and non-psychotropic medication use among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders

Anna J Esbensen  1 , Jan S Greenberg, Marsha Mailick Seltzer, Michael G Aman
Affiliations

A longitudinal investigation of psychotropic and non-psychotropic medication use among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders

Anna J Esbensen et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Medication use was examined in 286 adolescents and adults with ASD over a 4.5 year period. A total of 70% were taking a psychotropic or non-psychotropic medication at the beginning of the study. Both the number of psychotropic and non-psychotropic medications taken, and the proportion of individuals taking these medications, increased significantly over the study period, with 81% taking at least one medication 4.5 years later. Our findings suggested a high likelihood of staying medicated over time. Thus, adolescents and adults with ASD are a highly and increasingly medicated population.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Aman MG. Stimulant drugs in the developmental disabilities revisited. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. 1996;8:347–365.
    1. Aman MG, Arnold LE, Armstrong SC. Review of serotonergic agents and perseverative behavior in patients with developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews. 1999;5:279–289.
    1. Aman M, Farmer C, Hollway J, Arnold LE. Treatment of inattention, overactivity, and impulsiveness in autism spectrum disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2008;17:713–738. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aman MG, Lam KSL, Collier-Crespin A. Prevalence and patterns of use of psychoactive medicines among individuals with autism in the autism society of Ohio. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2003;33:527–534. - PubMed
    1. Aman MG, Lam KSL, Van Bourgondien ME. Medication patterns in patients with autism: Temporal, regional, and demographic influences. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2005;15:116–126. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances