The pharmacotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Potent inhibitors of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) reuptake have clearly been established as the first-line pharmacotherapy for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although a variety of tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors have similar efficacy in the treatment of depression and panic disorder, potent blockade of 5-HT transport appears to be a prerequisite for effective treatment of OCD. Adding agents that enhance 5-HT neurotransmission to ongoing treatment in patients whose OCD is refractory to 5-HT reuptake inhibitors has not yielded impressive results. However, the addition of low-dose dopamine (DA) antagonists to the regimens of treatment-resistant patients appears to be a potentially useful strategy for the specific subgroup of OCD patients with a comorbid chronic tic disorder such as Tourette's syndrome. Because of the toxicity associated with neuroleptics, a time-limited trial of those agents, with reassessment at regular intervals, is indicated. Pharmacologic studies suggest that both the 5-HT and DA systems may be critical to the treatment and possibly the pathophysiology of OCD.
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
C J
CJ
McDougle
W K
WK
Goodman
L H
LH
Price
D015057:1-Naphthylamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002065:Buspirone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003891:Desipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020280:Sertraline
D015057:1-Naphthylamine; D002065:Buspirone; D002997:Clomipramine; D003891:Desipramine; D005473:Fluoxetine; D016666:Fluvoxamine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D020280:Sertraline