Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Censored on Hormone-infused Nasal Spray Found to Help People with Autism
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Posted at Age of Autism on Feb. 17, 2010 at 11:26am (EST)
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly an interesting finding. The comment toward the end that oxytocin has been used as an "alternative" treatment for quite a while is a bit disconcerting, however.
It stands to be reiterated that further research is necessary before oxytocin is widely used. Much larger clinical trials need to be done to determine safety, particularly when used in children, whose hormones are changing a lot as they grow and where alterations in hormone levels can have significant effects, as well as efficacy. Questions to be asked include how long do the effects last? What are the long-term effects, both positive and negative? What risks are involved? What is the magnitude of positive effects? Do those positive effects outweigh the risks of the use of oxytocin?
The answers to those questions are vital before people just start using oxytocin willy-nilly. My concern is that parents will jump on this and start giving it to their children without fully knowing what the risks are.
This post is being cross-posted to Silenced by Age of Autism.