Prescribing patterns in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: Retrospective, single-center study

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is marked by a high rate of treatment resistance. Patients are often left trialing medications within multiple drug classes with little response, causing heterogeneity to emerge in prescribing patterns. This analysis seeks to investigate the selection and dosing of the pharmacotherapy utilized, to portray an overview of prescribing trends in the United States.

This retrospective, single center, review of electronic medical records investigated the pharmacotherapy utilization of patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Two hundred and ninety-five patients who received OCD treatment at an urban, academic medical center were included in the study. Patients were included in the review if they were at least eighteen years of age and were assigned a diagnosis of OCD according to DSM-5 criteria.

Psychotropic pharmacotherapy was integrated into the care of 93% of patients. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were the most utilized medication class at 85% followed by benzodiazepines (47%) and second-generation antipsychotics (37%). Tricyclic antidepressants and first-generation antipsychotics were the two medication classes utilized the least at 13% and 2% respectively. Additionally, mood stabilizers and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors were utilized at rates of 8% and 16%, respectively.

Evidence-based treatment guidelines are being followed with varying augmentation strategies widely prevalent, thus displaying the heterogeneity in treating OCD. A high rate of benzodiazepine utilization highlights a practice trend with potential ties to clinical factors, such as the latency to treatment effect of other first-line pharmacotherapies. Future prospective studies are required to determine the cultural, pharmacoeconomic and pharmacogenomic factors that contribute to the variation in prescribing practices and whether these variations influence treatment outcomes.