Fluoxetine Study Results – Autism Speaks study

Autism Speaks has been sponsoring a medical study using Fluoxetine in children with autism to decrease repetitive behaviors. Fluoxetine is one of the most widely prescribed central nervous system drugs. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor is often prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other disorders. The initial results reported by Autism Speaks did not prove the efficacy of this medication in reducing repetitive behaviors.

My main frustration with this study, and others like it, is that a medication is being used to attempt to “stop” repetitive behaviors rather than studying the function or cause of the individual’s repetitive behavior. It is my belief that repetitive and restrictive behaviors have a function (indeed every person I know has repetitive and restrictive behaviors, but theirs are considered “normal”) and don’t necessarily need to be stopped. What needs to happen is that these behaviors need to be examined individually and if the behaviors are in some one harming themselves or others, or if they are impeding the person in anyway, then a replacement behavior which serves the same function or a program which serves to fulfill the need the repetitive behaviors are filling needs to be employed. Unfortunately people continue to view repetitive and restrictive behaviors as completely non-functional and something that needs to be stopped, and there continues to be a search for a medication that will stop these behaviors. That’s just what our society needs…more medication.
Full-Text Article About Fluoxetine in Medical News Today