Conclusions and implication s of key findings : Fluoxetine is associated with a significantly greater reduction in OCD severity , as measured by the CY-BOCS , NIMH-OC and CGI-S , in children and adolescents .
Additionally , it is well tolerated in children and adolescents .
The acceptability is comparable to that of the placebo-treated group .
Background : Obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) is a common psychiatric illness in children and adolescents .
Previous evidence suggests that fluoxetine is effective in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .
However , those studies had small sample sizes .
As a result , a systematic review , which is a more powerful method to calculate the true effect size , can be applied to examine the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of fluoxetine in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .
Objectives : The aims of this study were to review the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of fluoxetine in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .
Fluoxetine, but not Tricyclic Antidepressants, Potentiates the 5-Hydroxytryptophan-Mediated Increase in Plasma Cortisol and Prolactin Secretion in Subjects with Major Depression or with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
It has been suggested that the clinical efficacy of chronic treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) such as fluoxetine and perhaps all antidepressants is due to their ability to enhance serotonergic activity . The effects of chronic treatment with fluoxetine or tricyclic antidepressants on the L-5-hydroxytryptophan ( 200 mg , L-5-HTP ; PO)–induced increases in plasma cortisol and prolactin ( PRL ) concentrations were studied in patients with major depression or obsessive compulsive disorder ( OCD ) . Administration of L-5-HTP increased plasma cortisol and PRL levels in medicated and unmedicated patients with major depression or OCD . The  L-5-HTP – induced cortisol and PRL responses were significantly higher in fluoxetine-treated than in tricyclic-treated or unmedicated major depressed patients . The latter two groups did not differ significantly in their cortisol or PRL responses to L-5-HTP . The L-5-HTP – induced increases in cortisol and PRL in fluoxetine-treated patients with major depression or OCD were not significantly different . The results suggest that fluoxetine , but not tricyclic antidepressants , potentiates 5-HT receptor – mediated stimulation of cortisol and PRL secretion in humans , consistent with available evidence that fluoxetine treatment , but not tricyclic antidepressants , increases central serotonergic activity in patients with MD or OCD by a presynaptic mechanism
Conclusions and implication s of key findings : Fluoxetine is associated with a significantly greater reduction in OCD severity , as measured by the CY-BOCS , NIMH-OC and CGI-S , in children and adolescents .
Additionally , it is well tolerated in children and adolescents .
The acceptability is comparable to that of the placebo-treated group .
Background : Obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) is a common psychiatric illness in children and adolescents .
Previous evidence suggests that fluoxetine is effective in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .
However , those studies had small sample sizes .
As a result , a systematic review , which is a more powerful method to calculate the true effect size , can be applied to examine the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of fluoxetine in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .
Objectives : The aims of this study were to review the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of fluoxetine in the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents .