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A controlled trial of propoxyphene and naltrexone in patients with tourette's syndrome
Author(s) -
Kurlan Roger,
Majumdar Lisa,
Deeley Cheryl,
Mudholkar Govind S.,
Plumb Sandra,
Como Peter G.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410300105
Subject(s) - naltrexone , placebo , psychology , tourette syndrome , anesthesia , tics , opioid , medicine , psychiatry , alternative medicine , receptor , pathology
To investigate the effect of drugs acting on the endogenous opioid system, we studied 10 adults with Tourette's syndrome who received propoxyphene hydrochloride (260 mg/day), naltrexone hydrochloride (50 mg/day), and placebo in a double‐blinded, randomized clinical trial. Using a self‐report scale (Tourette's Syndrome Symptom List), subjects noted a significant ( p < 0.04) lessening of tics after treatment with naltrexone when compared with placebo. An improvement in performance on the Trail Making B test, a measure of attention and visuomotor sequencing and planning, occurred after receiving naltrexone when compared with placebo ( p < 0.08) or propoxyphene ( p < 0.02). The Trail Making B test best discriminated the treatments ( p < 0.02, analysis of variance). No other treatment effects were observed for several other measures of tic severity, attentional ability, or obsessive‐compulsive symptoms. Our findings indicate that pharmacological manipulation of the endogenous opioid system does influence symptoms of Tourette's syndrome.