Treating Autism With Medications

Some medications can help reduce symptoms that cause problems for your child in school or at home. Many other medications may be prescribed off-label. This means they have not been approved by the FDA for a certain use or for certain people. Doctors may prescribe medications off-label if they have been approved to treat other disorders that have similar symptoms to ASD, or if they have been effective in treating adults or older children with ASD. Doctors prescribe medications off-label to try to help the youngest patients, but more research is needed to be sure that these medicines are safe and effective for children and teens with ASD.

At this time, the only medications approved by the FDA to treat aspects of ASD are the antipsychotics risperidone and aripripazole. These medications can help reduce irritability, self-harming acts, or temper tantrums—in children ages 5 to 16 who have ASD.

Medications that may be prescribed for children with Autism include:

  • Antipsychotic medications are more commonly used to treat serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. These medicines may help reduce aggression and other serious behavioral problems in children, including children with ASD. They may also help reduce repetitive behaviors, hyperactivity, and attention problems.
  • Antidepressant medications, such as fluoxetine or sertraline, are usually prescribed to treat depression and anxiety but are sometimes prescribed to reduce repetitive behaviors. Some antidepressants may also help control aggression and anxiety in children with ASD. However, researchers still are not sure if these medications are useful; a recent study suggested that the antidepressant citalopram was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors in children with ASD.
  • Stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate, are safe and effective in treating people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Methylphenidate has been shown to effectively treat hyperactivity in children with ASD as well. But not as many children with ASD respond to treatment, and those who do have shown more side effects than children with ADHD and not ASD.

All medications carry a risk of side effects. For details on the side effects of common psychiatric medications, see the NIMH website.

Health Resources