title: The relationship of plasma clomipramine and N-desmethylclomipramine to response in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: The clinical significance of the effects of pharmacotherapy and the relationship between plasma tricyclic concentrations and outcome in 33 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients who completed 10 weeks of treatment with clomipramine (239.4 +/- 57.0 mg/day) were analyzed. Results revealed that at the end of treatment, OCD symptoms had decreased to a subclinical level in 15 (47%) patients and that nearly 33 percent of the sample was virtually symptom free. However, 1 out of 4 patients failed to improve. Analysis of plasma levels (clomipramine 169.9 +/- 102.1 ng/ml; N-desmethylclomipramine 379.0 +/- 160.6 ng/ml) revealed that responders had significantly higher clomipramine levels and a trend toward lower desmethylclomipramine/clomipramine ratios. A significant degree of correlation was also obtained between plasma levels of clomipramine, but not N-desmethylclomipramine, and post-treatment outcome measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus 43210.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mavissakalian
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Perel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: C012273:desmethylclomipramine; D002997:Clomipramine