Fakher Rahim1, Mehdi Sayyah2. 1. Health Research Institute, Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. 2. Faculty Member of Education Development Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disorder of unknown etiology. An augmentation strategy is an approach for treatment-resistant OCD. This study was planned to assess the effect of atorvastatin on treatment-resistant OCD. METHODS: This 12-week-long double-blind randomized trial was performed on 26 adult patients with treatment-resistant OCD. They were diagnosed with this kind of disorder based on the DSM-IV-TR. The patients were randomized to receive either 10 mg/day atorvastatin or placebo. The Yale-Brown scale was assessed at the baseline and 12 weeks later. RESULTS: There were significant reductions in the obsession subtotal scoreof the Y-BOCS (p = 0.017) and the total Y-BOCS score (p = 0.041) in the atorvastatin group. Hence, the reduction in the Y-BOCS compulsive score (p = 0.081) was not statistically significant. Atorvastatin was generally well tolerated. There was a significant reduction in libido in the atorvastatin group (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study should be interpreted in the shadow of its restrictions. Some of the restrictions were a limited number of patients in the trial, a 12-week-long time trial, and not measuring NO before and after the study. It is recommended that researchers should consider these items in similar type of studies.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVES:Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disorder of unknown etiology. An augmentation strategy is an approach for treatment-resistant OCD. This study was planned to assess the effect of atorvastatin on treatment-resistant OCD. METHODS: This 12-week-long double-blind randomized trial was performed on 26 adult patients with treatment-resistant OCD. They were diagnosed with this kind of disorder based on the DSM-IV-TR. The patients were randomized to receive either 10 mg/day atorvastatin or placebo. The Yale-Brown scale was assessed at the baseline and 12 weeks later. RESULTS: There were significant reductions in the obsession subtotal scoreof the Y-BOCS (p = 0.017) and the total Y-BOCS score (p = 0.041) in the atorvastatin group. Hence, the reduction in the Y-BOCS compulsive score (p = 0.081) was not statistically significant. Atorvastatin was generally well tolerated. There was a significant reduction in libido in the atorvastatin group (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study should be interpreted in the shadow of its restrictions. Some of the restrictions were a limited number of patients in the trial, a 12-week-long time trial, and not measuring NO before and after the study. It is recommended that researchers should consider these items in similar type of studies.