Tourette's syndrome and treatment with clomipramine hydrochloride

Clomipramine hydrochloride, a tricyclic antidepressant that blocks serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, is indicated in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It has been reported that patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and a concomitant diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome respond well to treatment with clomipramine (1). It has also been reported that these dually-diagnosed patients, when treated with clomipramine, receive relief from the symptoms of both disorders (2). Published reports of Tourette's patients, without a concomitant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, successfully responding to treatment with clomipramine are rare. To the authors' knowledge, no such report has been published since 1975. This article reports the case of a 41-year-old male Tourette's patient, without a dual diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, who successfully responded to clomipramine therapy.