CONCLUSIONS The effects of treatment with clomipramine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs : fluvoxamine , sertraline , fluoxetine , citalopram , and escitalopram ) proved to be similar , except for the lower adherence rate in case of clomipramine because of its side effects .
PURPOSE This systematic review examines the efficacy of pharmacological therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) , addressing two major issues : which treatment is most effective in treating the patient 's symptoms and which is beneficial for maintaining remission .
Fluvoxamine in obsessive-compulsive disorder: similar efficacy but superior tolerability in comparison with clomipramine.
Some meta-analyses have suggested that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are less effective than clomipramine in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) . The aim of this double-blind , r and omised , multicentre study was to directly compare the efficacy and safety of fluvoxamine and clomipramine in patients with OCD . A total of 227 patients were r and omised to flexible doses of fluvoxamine or clomipramine ( both 150 - 300 mg/day ) for 10 weeks . Fluvoxamine and clomipramine were both clinical ly effective and there were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups , at any visit , on the National Institute of Mental Health Obsessive-Compulsive global rating scale , the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale ( total score and obsession and compulsion subscores ) , the Clinical Global Impression severity of illness and global improvement subscales , the Clinical Anxiety Scale and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale . However , there were differences in safety between the two treatments . Compared with fluvoxamine-treated patients , those treated with clomipramine had more anticholinergic side effects ( dry mouth , constipation and tremor ) and premature withdrawals due to adverse events ( 18 versus 9 ) . The results from this controlled study indicate that fluvoxamine is as effective as clomipramine in the treatment of OCD but has a better tolerability profile . Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons ,
CONCLUSIONS The effects of treatment with clomipramine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs : fluvoxamine , sertraline , fluoxetine , citalopram , and escitalopram ) proved to be similar , except for the lower adherence rate in case of clomipramine because of its side effects .
PURPOSE This systematic review examines the efficacy of pharmacological therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) , addressing two major issues : which treatment is most effective in treating the patient 's symptoms and which is beneficial for maintaining remission .