Risperidone and Double Incontinence in a Child with Autism
Abstract
Risperidone and Double Incontinence in a Child with Autism Esra Cop, M.D., Pinar Oner, M.D., and Ozgur Oner, M.D. To the Editor: R isperidone is one of the most widely used drugs for behavioral problems in children and adolescents, particularly in those with intellectual disabilities. In fact, several studies have shown the effectiveness of risperidone in children with autism (McDougle et al. 1998; Shea et al. 2004). The side-effects of risperidone treatment are usually not severe with weight increase and sedation being the most common. A relatively less reported side-effect of second-generation antipsychotic drugs is urinary incontinence (Took and Buck 1996; Vera et al. 2001). Urinary incontinence after risperidone treatment has been reported in several cases. To a much lesser extent, double incontinence (urinary and fecal) has also been reported (Herguner and Mukaddes 2008). Herguner and Mukaddes (2008) described two cases with autistic disorder who had double incontinence in 1 to 3 weeks after initiation of risperidone treatment and had rapid remission by switching to another antipsychotic. In this article, we report double incontinence after risperidone treatment in an autistic child. Case Report A 10-year-old boy was referred to the child and adolescent psychiatry department of a tertiary