Clinical study of quetiapine as a synergist in the treatment of senile obsessive-compulsive disorder

Objective To explore the therapeutic effects and tolerance of quetiapine as a synergist in the treatment of senile obsessive-compulsive disorder.Methods Sixty-two patients with senile obsessive-compulsive disorder were randomly assigned into two groups.Patients in the combined group(n=31) were treated by quetiapine combined with venlafaxine extended release,and those in the single group were treated by venlafaxine extended release alone for 8 weeks.The effects were assessed with Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale(Y-BOCS) and Hamilton anxiety scale(HAMA).The adverse reactions were assessed with treatment emergent symptom scale(TESS).Results At the end of the 8th week,the total effective rate of the combined group was 83.33%,significantly higher than that of the single group(56.67%),with χ2=5.08,P0.05.As compared with the baseline scores,the Y-BOCS scores as well as HAMA decreased significantly in the two groups after 8 weeks' treatment(P0.01),and the decrease in the combined group was more profound(t=5.01,t=5.48,P0.01).There were no significant difference between the two groups in TESS(t=1.72,P0.05).Conclusion The addition of quetiapine to Venlafaxine extended release has been found to be an effective and well-tolerated approach for treating patients with senile obsessive-compulsive disorder.