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A Longitudinal Investigation of Psychotropic and Non-Psychotropic Medication Use Among Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Medication use was examined in 286 adolescents and adults with ASD over a 4.5 year period. A total of 70% were taking a psychotropic or non-psychotropic medication at the beginning of the study. Both the number of psychotropic and non-psychotropic medications taken, and the proportion of individuals taking these medications, increased significantly over the study period, with 81% taking at least one medication 4.5 years later. Our findings suggested a high likelihood of staying medicated over time. Thus, adolescents and adults with ASD are a highly and increasingly medicated population.

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Acknowledgments

This manuscript was prepared with support from the National Institute on Aging (R01 AG08768), the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (P30 HD03352), and the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, rm 561, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Anna J. Esbensen, Jan S. Greenberg & Marsha Mailick Seltzer

  2. Nisonger Center, The Ohio State University, 1581 Dodd Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210-1296, USA

    Michael G. Aman

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  1. Anna J. Esbensen
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  2. Jan S. Greenberg
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  3. Marsha Mailick Seltzer
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  4. Michael G. Aman
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Correspondence to Anna J. Esbensen.

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Esbensen, A.J., Greenberg, J.S., Seltzer, M.M. et al. A Longitudinal Investigation of Psychotropic and Non-Psychotropic Medication Use Among Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 1339–1349 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0750-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0750-3

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