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Bupropion for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: an open-label, fixed-dose study
Nienke C C Vulink1, Damiaan Denys, Herman G M Westenberg
1Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht, the Netherlands. N.C.C.vulink@azu.nl
Objective:
In the present study, we examined the efficacy of bupropion for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Method:
Twelve patients with OCD according to DSM-IV criteria were included in an open trial with bupropion, maximum dosage 300 mg per day, during 8 weeks. The primary efficacy parameter was the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). A responder was defined by a reduction in score on the YBOCS of > or = 25%. Data were collected from February 2003 to July 2003.
Results:
An intent-to-treat analysis using the last observation carried forward demonstrated that bupropion had no mean effect on OCD symptoms (mean YBOCS decrease was 1.1 +/- 9.6). Four patients improved, with a mean decrease on the YBOCS of 31%, and 2 of them met responder rate criteria. Eight patients experienced an exacerbation of OCD symptoms, with a mean increase on the YBOCS of 21%.
Conclusion:
Bupropion is not an effective treatment for OCD, but the bimodal distribution of the effect supports the notion that dopamine might be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD.