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
. 2019 Jan;49(1):227-235.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3718-3.

Prevalence of Psychotropic Medicine Use in Australian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Drug Utilization Study Based on Children Enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Lotte Rasmussen  1   2 , Nicole Pratt  3 , Elizabeth Roughead  3 , Anna Moffat  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of Psychotropic Medicine Use in Australian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Drug Utilization Study Based on Children Enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

Lotte Rasmussen et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Based on data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children linked with pharmacy dispensing data from the Australian Government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, we calculated the 1-year prevalence of psychotropic medicine supply in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as reported by parents in 2014. The majority of children and adolescents with ASD in Australia were not treated with psychotropic medicine. One-third had claims for at least one psychotropic medication, most commonly medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and antidepressants. Antipsychotics were supplied to less than one in twenty children and approximately one in ten adolescents. In line with findings from North America, psychotropic medicine was more often supplied to children and adolescents with ASD and comorbid ADHD.

Keywords: Australia; Autism; Autism spectrum disorder; Drug utilization; Psychotropic drugs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2012 Aug;13(11):1615-29 - PubMed
    1. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Aug 20;(8):CD004677 - PubMed
    1. J Pediatr Nurs. 2011 Aug;26(4):334-47 - PubMed
    1. Res Dev Disabil. 2013 Aug;34(8):2369-78 - PubMed
    1. Autism Res. 2014 Oct;7(5):543-54 - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources