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Pharmacopsychiatry 2010; 43(2): 58-65
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1239540
Original Paper

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Serum Concentrations, Therapeutic Response and Side Effects in Children and Adolescents with Impulsive-Aggressive Symptoms during Risperidone Therapy

K. Klampfl1 , R. Taurines1 , A. Preuss1 , R. Burger4 , S. Rothenhöfer2 , Ch. Wewetzer2 , B. Pfuhlmann4 , J. Fegert3 , M. Gerlach1 , 4 , C. Mehler-Wex3
  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
  • 2Clinics of City Cologne GmbH, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Cologne, Germany
  • 3Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm Germany
  • 4Laboratory for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Clinics for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

received 29.05.2009 revised 25.07.2009

accepted 06.08.2009

Publication Date:
10 December 2009 (online)

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Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this prospective naturalistic study was to examine for the first time the relationship between dosage, serum concentration and clinical outcome in children and adolescents with impulsive-aggressive symptoms during risperidone therapy.

Methods: Steady state trough serum concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone (the active moiety) were measured in 103 subjects. The therapeutic effect was assessed by the clinical global impression improvement subscale and side effects by the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser-side effect rating scale.

Results: We found a linear relationship between the risperidone dose and the serum concentration of the active moiety (Spearman ρ=0.53) and no correlation between the serum concentration and either the therapeutic effect or side effects. There was no effect of gender and co-medication.

Discussion: This study has the typical limitations of naturalistic studies, therefore our results should be interpreted with caution. Based on the serum concentrations at the therapeutically effective dose range (0.25–1.5 mg/day) we obtained first information on a possibly appropriate therapeutic serum range for the risperidone treatment of children and adolescents with impulsive-aggressive symptoms. Further studies with greater sample sizes are needed to validate our results and to examine the influence of genetic polymorphisms on the serum concentration of risperidone.

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Correspondence

Dr. med. K. Klampfl

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy

University of Wuerzburg

Fuechsleinstraße 15

97080 Würzburg

Germany

Phone: +49/931/201 78010

Fax: +49/931/201 78040

Email: klampfl@kjp.uni-wuerzburg.de