Evaluation of Clonidine Augmentation Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment; a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common neuropsychiatric worldwide. Inadequate response of OCD patients to usual agent makes this great challenge, and recent studies have recommended augmentation therapy as new choice. Objectives: As traces noradrenergic dysfunction been noted in pathophysiology, the current study aimed assess efficacy clonidine for treating OCD. Methods: This was randomized clinical trial conducted on 57 divided into two groups 1-mg (n = 28) placebo group 29). The medication administered 12 weeks. Patients’ primary treatment, including SSRIs or clomipramine, continued by receiving same dose used before participation study. Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale (Y-BOCS) Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) were at start then four-week intervals. Drug-related adverse effects global improvement assessed compared between groups. Results: initial CGI scores 3.89 ± 1.57 4.10 1.61 baseline 2.29 1.18 3.07 1.51 end intervention control groups, respectively. Both revealed significant (P-value 0.001) with no difference them 0.22). Y-BOCS score clonidine-treated 27.61 8.08 versus 28.69 7.44 baseline, which declined 20.25 6.08 25.45 7.35 study, 0.001), but there statistically 0.06). complications not different > 0.05); however, presented more than subjects. Conclusions: Although use posed remarkable drug-related effects, it superior considering symptom relief.