Effect of citalopram administered with clomipramine for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder

Objective To investigate efficacy and side effects of citalopram administered with clomipramine in the treatment of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Methods A total of 16 patients with refractory OCD were divided into two groups treated with citalopram or citalopram plus clomipramine .All the patients were evaluated with Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale(Y-BOCS) and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale(TESS).Results In citalopram plus clomipramine group,all patients experienced decreasing rate in Y-BOCS score by at least 35%,6 patients were suffered from side effects.But in citalopram group,only one patient had such decreasing rate,3 patients suffered from side effects.Conclusion A combination of citalopram and clomipramine would appear to be more useful than citalopram in the treatment of refractory OCD,while its side effects were significantly more than those of citalopram.