Clonazepam as an augmenting agent in the treatment of childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1994 Jul-Aug;33(6):792-4. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199407000-00003.

Abstract

This case study is of a young man with childhood onset of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The patient had no clinical improvement during therapeutic trials of clomipramine, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine, including buspirone augmentation. The patient consumed 50 tablets of fluoxetine in a suicide attempt and experienced a total remission of his OCD symptoms for the first time in his life. This remission lasted approximately 1 month and raises interesting questions about the mechanism of action of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Subsequently, the patient was able to achieve a 75% improvement in symptomatology when treated with a combination of fluoxetine and clonazepam. This open report suggests that clonazepam may be an effective augmentation agent to a serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the treatment of OCD.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Clomipramine / metabolism
  • Clomipramine / therapeutic use
  • Clonazepam / administration & dosage*
  • Clonazepam / pharmacology*
  • Clonazepam / therapeutic use
  • Diazepam / metabolism
  • Diazepam / therapeutic use
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Synergism
  • Fluoxetine / metabolism
  • Fluoxetine / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / metabolism*
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Suicide, Attempted
  • Thioridazine / metabolism
  • Thioridazine / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Fluoxetine
  • Clonazepam
  • Thioridazine
  • Clomipramine
  • Diazepam