thorazine to treat autism

recently my son is being treated for autism with thorazine. please give opinions and experience related to the efficacy and safety of this treatment. He is currently at ucla neuropsychiatric hospital for adolescents. E.

Hi emmaline, and welcome to IAN. I'm so sorry to hear about your son's hospitalization. I know how distressing this is for families.

Like many of the medications used to treat aspects of autism (or, more accurately, behaviors associated with autism), thorazine has not been tested specifically as a treatment for autism. At present, to my knowledge, there is only one FDA-approved treatment for the "irritability" (that is, meltdowns!) associated with autism spectrum disorders: Risperdal (generic name risperidone). But a great many medications are in use. See our preliminary report on medications being used by families participating in IAN here: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/treatment_series_medication

Thorazine (generic name chlorpromazine) is an antipsychotic or neuroleptic drug used to treat psychosis (which is the disturbed thinking associated with mental illnesses like schizophrenia); mania (which is the accelerated, out-of-control "up" mood associated with bipolar disorder); and explosive, aggressive behavior and hyperactivity in children, among other things. See the National Institute of Health "Medline" medical encyclopedia entry here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682040.html#why

Thorazine is an older antipsychotic, what they call a "typical" antipsychotic. Risperdal, Abilify, and the other newer antipsychotics are called "atypical," and if I am not mistaken, are in more frequent use by children on the autism spectrum than the older, "typical" variety.

Generally, I would encourage you (or any parent in a similar situation) to feel free to question the team treating your son about exactly why they have chosen a specific drug. What behavior or condition are they targeting with this drug? Why was this drug chosen instead of an alternative one? What are the possible side effects? How soon will you know it is having the desired effect, or not working?

I encourage our readers who have had experiences relating to autism and thorazine/chlorpromazine to post their comments here. Please do keep in mind, though, that each person and situation is different when it comes to medications. For example, a med that works beautifully for one person may not work at all and/or have unbearable side-effects for another.