WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE:N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been proposed as a potential therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as it may regulate the exchange of glutamate and prevent its pre-oxidant effects. The aim of the present double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of NAC augmentation in moderate-to-severe (OCD) treatment. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, two-centre, placebo-controlled, 10-week trial, patients with moderate-to-severe OCD were enrolled. Patients were randomized into two parallel groups to receive fluvoxamine (200 mg daily) plus placebo or fluvoxamine (200 mg daily) plus NAC (2000 mg daily). A total of 44 patients (22 in each group) were visited to evaluate response to therapy using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) at baseline, and at weeks 4, 8 and 10. Side effects were recorded using predesigned checklists upon each visit. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 5·14, d.f. = 1·64, P = 0·012) in the Y-BOCS total score and a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 5·44, d.f. = 1·54, P = 0·011) in the Y-BOCS obsession subscale between the two groups. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Our results showed that NAC might be effective as an augmentative agent in the treatment of moderate-to-severe OCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir): IRCT201405271556N60.
RCT Entities:
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE:N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been proposed as a potential therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as it may regulate the exchange of glutamate and prevent its pre-oxidant effects. The aim of the present double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of NAC augmentation in moderate-to-severe (OCD) treatment. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, two-centre, placebo-controlled, 10-week trial, patients with moderate-to-severe OCD were enrolled. Patients were randomized into two parallel groups to receive fluvoxamine (200 mg daily) plus placebo or fluvoxamine (200 mg daily) plus NAC (2000 mg daily). A total of 44 patients (22 in each group) were visited to evaluate response to therapy using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) at baseline, and at weeks 4, 8 and 10. Side effects were recorded using predesigned checklists upon each visit. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 5·14, d.f. = 1·64, P = 0·012) in the Y-BOCS total score and a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 5·44, d.f. = 1·54, P = 0·011) in the Y-BOCS obsession subscale between the two groups. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Our results showed that NAC might be effective as an augmentative agent in the treatment of moderate-to-severe OCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir): IRCT201405271556N60.
Authors: Henry Szechtman; Susanne E Ahmari; Richard J Beninger; David Eilam; Brian H Harvey; Henriette Edemann-Callesen; Christine Winter Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev Date: 2016-05-07 Impact factor: 8.989
Authors: Dan J Stein; Daniel L C Costa; Christine Lochner; Euripedes C Miguel; Y C Janardhan Reddy; Roseli G Shavitt; Odile A van den Heuvel; H Blair Simpson Journal: Nat Rev Dis Primers Date: 2019-08-01 Impact factor: 52.329
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