Review of the Use of the Glutamate Antagonist Riluzole in Psychiatric Disorders and a Description of Recent Use in Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The antiglutamatergic drug riluzole (Rilutek (R)) is presently being used off label in the treatment of psychiatric conditions in adult patients and, increasingly, in children. This article briefly reviews the pharmacology of this drug and its current investigative and clinical uses and adverse effects. It also reports on our experience to date in the study of the drug in children, with emphasis on adverse effects noted so far in these younger patients.