Risperidone Case Study

Although risperidone is widely accepted to treat behavioral and psychological disorders in children1, related serious adverse events should be of concern, especially in children2. Risperidone-induced priapism or abnormal erection is caused via the alpha-adrenergic antagonist mechanism3-5. Although it is a rare adverse event, there have been several reports in adults6 and a very limited number of reported cases in children7-9. Specifically, there is only one previous reported case, involving a patient under 12 years of age, where risperidone was linked with frequent penile erection7.
We report a case of frequent penile erection in a boy with autistic-spectrum disorders after an increase in risperidone dosage. A written informed consent and assent were obtained from the patient's mother and the child for the publication of this case …show more content…
The assessment revealed poor joint attention and severe language delay. A diagnosis of autism-spectrum disorder was made by an experienced developmental and behavioral pediatrician, and he was started on oral risperidone syrup 0.25 mg daily. He responded well to the medication, but the dosage of the drug was increased due to suboptimal response on one of his visits. Two years later, the dosage of risperidone was increased to 1.25 mg daily because of his teacher's complaints of hyperactivity and frequent crying at the primary school. One month after the dosage increase, his mother reported that he had frequent, painful, and persistent penile erections without any stimuli. They lasted approximately 15 minutes and were accompanied by frequent touching and urination. The erections occurred approximately 10 times during the day and sometimes during the night while he