Pharmacological Approaches to Stuttering Treatment: Reply to Meline and Harn (2008)

Abstract

Purpose To address questions raised by T. Meline and W. E. Harn (2008) in their critique of our previous article (A. K. Bothe, J. H. Davidow, R. E. Bramlett, D. M. Franic, & R. J. Ingham, 2006). Method Additional information is provided to address several issues raised by Meline and Harn. Results and Conclusions Our previous systematic review omitted 1 relevant article about the use of olanzapine in stuttering, but the minimal effectiveness and the known serious side effects of this drug limit the implications of this omission. While we do not agree with many of Meline and Harn’s critiques of our review, we do agree with them that several larger points raise interesting questions about the structure, analysis, and usefulness of literature reviews in stuttering and in other areas. Fundamentally, we reassert our agreement with Meline and Harn that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of existing pharmacological agents in the treatment of stuttering.