title: Lamotrigine augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: The present 16-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial had the aim to explore the efficacy of lamotrigine add-on pharmacotherapy on clinical symptomatology and cognitive functioning in a sample of patients with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) receiving serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). After clinical and neurocognitive assessments, patients were randomly allocated to receive, in a double-blind design, 100 mg/day of lamotrigine or a placebo. A final sample of 33 patients completed the study. The results obtained indicate that lamotrigine added to stable SRI treatment substantially improved obsessive-compulsive (Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: obsessions, p < 0.0001; compulsions, p < 0.0001; total score, p < 0.0001), and affective symptoms (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression p < 0.0001). Regarding cognitive functions, improvement was observed only in Semantic Fluency (p = 0.004). The findings provide evidence that lamotrigine augmentation of SRI treatment is well tolerated and may be proposed as an effective therapeutic strategy to improve outcome in treatment-resistant OCD.
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatric and Anaesthesiological Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. atonio.bruno@unime.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Micò
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pandolfo
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mallamace
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abenavoli
authors.forename: Floriana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Nardo
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Arrigo
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.forename: Rocco A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zoccali
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria A
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Muscatello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014227:Triazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014227:Triazines