Placebo-controlled study of pimozide augmentation of fluoxetine in body dysmorphic disorder. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • OBJECTIVE: Although body dysmorphic disorder often responds to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), most patients do not respond or respond only partially. However, placebo-controlled studies of augmentation of SRIs have not been done. Furthermore, although 40%-50% of patients are delusional, studies of antipsychotic medications have not been done. METHOD: Twenty-eight patients with body dysmorphic disorder or its delusional variant participated in an 8-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study of pimozide augmentation of fluoxetine. RESULTS: Pimozide was not more effective than placebo: two (18.2%) of 11 subjects responded to pimozide and three (17.6%) of 17 subjects responded to placebo. There was no significant effect of baseline delusionality on endpoint severity of body dysmorphic disorder. Delusionality did not decrease significantly more with pimozide than placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Pimozide augmentation of fluoxetine treatment for body dysmorphic disorder was not more effective than placebo, even in more delusional patients. Further studies of augmentation for SRIs are needed.

publication date

  • February 1, 2005

Research

keywords

  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Fluoxetine
  • Pimozide
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
  • Somatoform Disorders

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC1622893

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 13444271622

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.2.377

PubMed ID

  • 15677604

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 162

issue

  • 2