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The use of aripiprazole in the treatment of mental disorders in children and adolescents

Lena Cichoń1, Bożena Gabryel2, Ireneusz Jelonek1, Krzysztof Krysta3,4, Małgorzata Janas-Kozik1,3
Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
Psychiatr Psychol Klin 2018, 18 (4), p. 373–387
DOI: 10.15557/PiPK.2018.0045
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Streszczenie

The article is about aripiprazole – an atypical antipsychotic that is registered in Poland for the treatment of schizophrenia in individuals aged ≥15 years, and moderate to severe manic episodes in the course of bipolar disorder type I in adolescents aged ≥13 years in the treatment lasting up to 12 weeks. The paper discusses the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and safety of aripiprazole in the paediatric population. Aripiprazole acts as a partial agonist of the dopamine D2 receptor and the serotonin 5HT1A receptor. Aripiprazole pharmacokinetics in humans is linear and proportional to the dose range of 5–30 mg. In children and adolescents aged 10–17 years, the pharmacokinetic profile is comparable to that observed in adults, after the adjustment for body weight. The article also contains a review of research on the clinical efficacy of aripiprazole in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, hyperkinetic disorder, pervasive developmental disorders, tics and aggressive behaviours in children and adolescents. Aripiprazole evaluated in clinical trials among children and adolescents has shown a good safety and tolerability profile. The incidence and type of side effects of aripiprazole in the paediatric population are essentially similar to those observed in adults. However, by contrast with adults, adolescents treated with aripiprazole may more often develop such side effects as drowsiness, sedation, extrapyramidal symptoms, dry mouth, increased appetite, and orthostatic hypotension. Aripiprazole may play an important role in the treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents because of its favourable metabolic profile.

Słowa kluczowe
aripiprazole, children, pharmacology, atypical antipsychotic, pharmacokinetics