Aripiprazole augmentation in 13 patients with refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: a case series

The primary treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). However, approximately a third of patients do not respond to SSRIs and remain chronically affected.

Therefore, we added aripiprazole to SSRI therapy for 13 patients with treatment-refractory OCD (subjects who failed to respond to SSRI therapy for at least 2 months, and for an average of 508 days). Participants underwent at least 7 weeks of treatment with aripiprazole augmentation.

Patients were evaluated using the Y-BOCS and GAF scales. Aripiprazole (3-12 mg)/SSRI co-therapy significantly improved Y-BOCS and GAF scores. However, many patients needed to take antiparkinsonian drugs to control extrapyramidal symptoms.

These results suggest that aripiprazole augmentation of SSRI therapy may be effective for treatment-refractory OCD.