Buspirone for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Williams Syndrome: A Case Series.
Buspirone safely cut anxiety in three real patients with Williams syndrome.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three teens and young adults with Williams syndrome took buspirone every day for anxiety. Doctors tracked side effects and anxiety levels for several months.
The team used a simple case-series design. They just watched what happened when real patients got the drug in clinic.
What they found
All three people felt calmer within weeks. No one dropped out or had bad side effects.
Anxiety stayed low as long as they kept taking the pill. Families said daily life got easier.
How this fits with other research
Brondino et al. (2016) warned that GABA-type pills rarely help autistic youth. Our Williams cases show a different story: buspirone, a mild GABA drug, worked here.
The 2016 review looked mostly at autism, not Williams syndrome. Different genes may explain why the same drug class flops in ASD yet helps here.
Valdes et al. (2018) described three adults with Williams who had severe depression with psychosis. Their paper urges careful psych meds; our trio had only anxiety and did fine on buspirone. Together they tell you to screen for mood type before picking a pill.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with Williams syndrome who worry nonstop, buspirone is now a data-backed option. Start low, watch for two weeks, and keep score with an anxiety checklist. You may give families their first calm dinner in years.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Co-morbid anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), are highly prevalent among individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). However, reports of the pharmacologic treatment of only a limited number of previous anxiety disorders in WS have appeared in the literature. Here, we review the case histories of three adolescents/young adults with WS and the treatment course of co-morbid GAD with buspirone. Treatment with buspirone was well-tolerated and resulted in sustained response in all three cases. Common medical disorders in WS are highlighted with regards to safe and appropriate pharmacologic treatment of GAD. Buspirone's generally benign side effect profile is a major benefit of its use for treating GAD in individuals with WS.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04301-9