Doubts about Use of Medicines in Autism

A type of antidepressant sometimes used to treat autism may not help much at all, a new analysis of research finds. The study focused on drugs called serotonin receptor inhibitors (SRIs). These include drugs such as fluoxetine, citalopram and others. Some research has suggested they could help control repeated behaviors in people with autism. The new study put together the numbers from earlier studies. It included results from five published studies. These studies found a small benefit for people who took SRIs, compared with placebo (fake) pills. The new study also looked at five prior studies that were never published. When those results were combined with the published studies, the benefit from SRIs disappeared. They appeared to help only people with anxiety as well as autism. The authors say “publication bias” may account for their findings.