Pharmacotherapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder

Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2000 Sep;23(3):643-56. doi: 10.1016/s0193-953x(05)70186-6.

Abstract

SSRIs and the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine are the first-line therapies for patients with OCD, with the side-effect profile of SSRIs being more favorable than that of clomipramine. As many as 40% to 60% of patients with OCD may not respond to adequate trials of SRIs. Not all patients tolerate SSRIs, and delays in full therapeutic responses often occur. Thus, other pharmacologic approaches to treating patients with OCD have been investigated. Augmentation and monotherapy have been explored with serotonergic enhancers, dopamine and 5-HT antagonists, enhancers of second-messenger systems, and GABAergic agents with varying efficacy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Meta-Analysis as Topic
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic
  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors