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From: Nathan Lavid
Date: 10/13/02
Time: 6:31:40 PM
Remote Name: 66.171.53.92
Hello Holger,
As it stands now, there are no medications that have been FDA approved for treating the dysfluency of stuttering. The dysfluency and motor tics of stuttering are associated with increased dopaminergic activity, and since the 1970s medications that inhibit dopamine activity in the brain have been shown to induce fluency. The first generation of dopamine antagonists, such as haloperidol, have not been used routinely for stuttering because of side effects, such as tardive dyskinesia and extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) - which resemble the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Olanzapine and risperidone belong to a new generation of medications called the “serotonin-dopamine antagonists.” These medications do not have the risk of tardive dyskinesia and EPS, but do have some risk of other side effects. Preliminary data has shown that this class of medication does induce fluency. However, to gain widespread acceptance, further investigations are required to replicate the results. This type of scrutiny is happening right now. Gerald Maguire and his colleagues at UCI, have performed a double-blind evaluation of olanzapine. The study is completed and has been submitted to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry for peer review. I’m sure Dr. Maguire would not mind if you contacted him to ask about the progress of the study. He can be reached (714) 456-5770 or gamaguir@uci.edu. Nathan