[Efficacy of clonidine transdermal patch for treatment of Tourette's syndrome in children].

Children with Tourette's syndrome (TS) have a poor treatment compliance due to side effects and inconvenient administration of oral drugs. This study explored the efficacy and safety of clonidine transdermal patch for treating TS in children.A total of 119 children with TS were randomly treated with the clonidine transdermal patch (n=65) or with oral haloperidol (n=54). The therapeutic efficacy was assessed based on the results of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) 4 weeks after treatment.The clonidine transdermal patch group showed a higher reduction in the overall tic symptom scores (61.5+/-7.5%) than that in the haloperidol group (41.0+/-6.3%; p<0.05). Clonidine transdermal patch treatment was effective in 53 patients (81.5%) and 36 patients (67.5%) showed effective to oral haloperidol (p>0.05). Mild side effects (decrease of blood pressure and dizziness) were observed in 1 patient in the clonidine transdermal patch group. Mild hypermyotonia, drowsiness or lassitude as side effects occurred in 6 patients in the haloperidol group.Clonidine transdermal patch is effective for the treatment of TS in children and its side effects are mild and rare.