Tourette disorder: The Daily PANCE Blueprint
Which of the following medications is an appropriate pharmacological treatment option for Tourette syndrome?
A. Guanfacine
B. Isocarboxazid
C. Alprazolam
D. Tranylcypromine
E. None of the above
Answer and topic summary
The answer is A. Guanfacine
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that is specifically characterized by phonic and motor tics. The onset is usually in childhood (2 to 15 year olds). Tics are sudden, short, and random verbal utterances (phonic tics) or movements (motor tics). Examples of motor tics include eye blinking, head jerking, kicking, echopraxia, and facial grimacing. Examples of phonic tics include grunting, sniffing, cursing, hollering, etc. Comorbidities include ADHD, OCD, and learning disorders. Treatment aims to improve quality of life by reducing the frequency of tics. Management options include habit reversal training (HRT), alpha-adrenergic agonists (e.g., guanfacine and clonidine), anti-dopaminergic drugs (haloperidol, pimozide, aripiprazole), and botulinum toxin injections.
Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:
Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Neurology ⇒ ⇒
