Relative efficacy of haloperidol and pimozide in children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder.

Conducted a double-blind 24-wk, placebo-controlled double crossover study of equivalent dose formulations of haloperidol and pimozide with 22 Ss (aged 7–16 yrs) with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome who were randomly assigned to first one active drug treatment and then the other. Biweekly assessment and flexible dose titration mimicked clinical practice. The primary outcome variable was total score on the Tourette Syndrome Global Scale, which was determined after 6 wks of each treatment (placebo, pimozide, haloperidol), with a 2-wk placebo baseline period and intervening 2-wk placebo washout periods between treatments. Pimozide proved significantly different from placebo in affecting the primary outcome variable, whereas haloperidol failed to have a significant effect. Haloperidol exhibited a threefold higher frequency of serious side effects and significantly greater extrapyramidal symptoms relative to pimozide. Haloperidol-associated treatment-limiting adverse events were experienced by 41% of the Ss. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)