AsOCDis considered an anxiety disorder by the DSM-IV (but not by the ICD-10), it is not surprising that anxiolitics have been suggested in the treatment of OCD patients. Thus, alprazolam and clonazepam have been reported as efficient in several uncontrolled studies and case series, and even in a small double-blind randomized, multiple cross-over study. However, since OCD is a chronic disorder, the use of anxiolitics for long periods raises questions of dependency brought about by longterm use of benzodiazepines. Despite reports in open studies regarding the efficacy of trazodone, buspirone and lithium, the results in double-blind studies were negative. Adding drugs affecting dopamine function, especially atypical antipsychotics (risperidone), to SRI therapy in treatment-resistant OCD patients, resulted in improvement in patients with a personal or family history of tics. Thyroid supplementation has been reported to be efficacious in open trials as adjunctive agents to SRIs.

However, the efficacy of this agent in OCD was not confirmed in a controlled study. Clonidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, has been reported to be effective in treating OC symptoms in the context of Tourette’s syndrome and there are reports of improvement in typical OCD patients . However, there are no controlled data to support this agent’s efficacy and its side-effect profile discourages its use in OCD.

	More Articles
1. Course for Generalized Anxiety Disorder Course for Generalized Anxiety Disorder GAD is a disorder characterised by extreme anxiety and worry. Its age of onset is between the late teens and early twenties. [...]
2. Long Term Treatment of OCD: Alternative, Medication, Condition and Assessment Long Term Treatment of OCD: Alternative, Medication, Condition and Assessment It has been demonstrated that the length of treatment should be considerable and that most patients relapse after premature [...]
3. Situation of Onset Situation of Onset With regard to the context in which the first panic attack occur, Lelliott et al. reported that 92% of their agoraphobic [...]
4. Aetiology of Social Phobia and Down Syndrome Aetiology of Social Phobia and Down Syndrome It is unclear whether there is a continuum between normal and pathological social anxiety or whether they are categorically [...]

ADD YOUR LINK HERE

Bookmark This Page:

Add to Favorites

Add to Del.icio.us

Send to a Friend

Resources:

Anxiety Disorders Panic Disorder Specific Phobias Social Phobias Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Anxiety Basics More Articles Depression Help

About Us | Contact Us | Link to Us