The efficacy of all
pharmacotherapies for patients suffering from
tics were unclear. Literatures were searched from Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and four Chinese databases. The primary efficacy outcome scale was defined as the Yale Global
Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS). Overall estimates of pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each outcome measure. A total of 53 trials were included. Meta-analysis suggested that alpha-2
adrenergic agonist agents and atypical
antipsychotic agents were effective in improving
tics, which included the maximum number of trials. Typical
antipsychotic agents were associated with severer side-effects than alpha-2
adrenergic agonist agents. Besides,
Traditional Chinese Medicine showed positive effects in YGTSS (
NingDong Granule: WMD=-7.100, 95% CI, -10.430- -3.770; 5-Ling Granule: WMD=-11.300, 95% CI, -14.208- -8.392), while
glutamate modulators (D-
serine,
N-Acetylcysteine and
riluzole) might not be working. In summary, alpha-2
adrenergic agonist agents were associated with the optimal weigh between efficacy and safety. However, the significant factor of limited trials and sample sizes discounted these findings. Further better studies are necessary to ascertain them.