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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

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Pharmacotherapy for trichotillomania.

Rachel Rothbart¹, Taryn Amos, Nandi Siegfried

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1M9.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|November 12, 2013

Summary

Medications for trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) show limited definitive efficacy. Preliminary evidence suggests potential benefits from clomipramine, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and olanzapine in small trials.

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Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Pharmacology

Background:

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a prevalent and disabling disorder characterized by recurrent hair-pulling.
The efficacy of pharmacological interventions for TTM has not been systematically evaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the effects of medications for trichotillomania (TTM) in adults compared to placebo or other active agents.

Main Methods:

Systematic search of multiple databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of medications for TTM in adults.
Data extraction and risk of bias assessment by two independent reviewers.
Primary outcomes included symptom severity reduction and clinical response rates.

Main Results:

Eight small trials (204 participants) were included, with most comparing medication to placebo.
Selective serotonin reuptuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and naltrexone showed no strong evidence of efficacy.
Olanzapine, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and clomipramine showed statistically significant treatment effects in individual studies.

Conclusions:

No medication class definitively proves efficacy for TTM treatment.
Preliminary evidence suggests potential therapeutic effects of clomipramine, NAC, and olanzapine, warranting further investigation in larger trials.