[Combination of risperidone and serotonergic antidepressants in refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder]

We present the use of risperidone as a potentiation strategy of the serotonergic antidepressants in four patients suffering from refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. There were an important improvement in three patients. Adding risperidone to serotonergic antidepressants causes complex interactions between serotonergic, dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems, that could lay to the clinical improvement. These and other similar cases make necessary controlled studies. Adding risperidone to serotonergic antidepressants in patients suffering from refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder might be an effective strategy with low risk for secondary effects and without the presence of tics or psychotic symptoms.