2021-04-05 12:58:00
In a double-blind randomized placebo controlled 12-week trial, researchers investigated the efficacy and safety of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) in conjunction with the conventional treatment fluoxetine for OCD. It included 60 patients who met the diagnosis of moderate-severe OCD according to the DSM-5 and had a Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score of >21. Participants were randomized to receive either fluoxetine with 5-HTP (100 mg twice daily) or fluoxetine with placebo. The fluoxetine in both groups was given at a dose of 20 mg/day for the first 4 weeks and then 60 mg/day for the rest of the trial. It was found that both groups had improvements in Y-BOCS scores (p <0.001). Even though patients in the 5-HTP group did experience significantly more abdominal pain and constipation than the placebo group, there was no difference in discontinuation between groups. Overall, the 5-HTP group showed higher partial (p=0.032) and complete treatment (p=0.001) rates versus the placebo group according to the Y-BOCS total scores.
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- Yousefzadeh, F., Sahebolzamani, E., Sadri, A., Mortezaei, A., Aqamolaei, A., Mortazavi, S. H., … Akhondzadeh, S. (2020). 5-Hydroxytryptophan as adjuvant therapy in treatment of moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind randomized trial with placebo control. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 35(5), 254–262.