OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole in the treatment of tic disorder when tiapride is used as a control.

METHODSSixty-five children aged 6-14 years old with tic disorders were randomly assigned to two groups: aripiprazole (2.5-10 mg/d) and tiapride treatment (25- 400 mg/d). After 12 weeks treatment, the clinical efficacy was assessed by the Yale Global Tie Severity Scale (YGTSS) score and the adverse reactions were observed.

RESULTSThe YGTSS score in both groups decreased from the second week of treatment. Compared with the tiapride treatment group, the aripirazole treatment group showed a more decreased YGTSS score (29+/-13)% vs (16+/-14)%; P<0.01 by the second week of treatment. The overall effective rate in the aripiprazole and tiapride treatment groups was 91% and 84%, respectively (P>0.05) 12 weeks after treatment. There were no significant differences in the incidence of adverse reactions between the aripiprazole and tiapride treatment groups and no severe adverse events were found in either group.

CONCLUSIONSLow dose aripiprazole is safe and effective for treatment of tic disorders in children, suggesting that it represents a new valid option for the treatment of tic disorder.