Addition of desipramine to serotonin reuptake inhibitors in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether combined treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, desipramine, effectively reduces obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients who do not respond to SSRIs.

Method: In a double-blind study, desipramine or placebo was added for 6 or 10 weeks to the treatment of 30 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose symptoms were refractory to SSRI treatment (fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, or sertraline) alone.

Results: There were no significant differences between the adjunctive desipramine and placebo groups in obsessive-compulsive or depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: These data suggest that clomipramine's possibly superior efficacy in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms may not stem from its capacity to inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine.