A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of olanzapine in the treatment of trichotillomania.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Trichotillomania has been considered as part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum; however, trichotillomania treatment with obsessive-compulsive disorder medications has largely been unsuccessful.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether a dopaminergic treatment as used in tics and Tourette's syndrome would be effective in trichotillomania.

METHOD:

Twenty-five participants with DSM-IV trichotillomania participated in a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of flexible-dose olanzapine for trichotillomania. Recruitment occurred between August 2001 and December 2005, and follow-up was completed in February 2006. The primary outcome measure was the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) scale, and secondary measures of efficacy included the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Trichotillomania (TTM-YBOCS) and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) scale.

RESULTS:

Eleven of 13 participants (85%) in the olanzapine group and 2 of 12 (17%) in the placebo group were considered responders according to the CGI-I (P = .001). There was a significant change from baseline to end point in the TTM-YBOCS (P < .01) and the CGI-S (P < .001). The mean ± SD dose of olanzapine at end point was 10.8 ± 5.7 mg/d. Twenty-one of 25 patients (84%) reported at least 1 adverse event, but no adverse events resulted in early withdrawal from the study.

CONCLUSION:

Olanzapine seems to be a safe and effective treatment for primary DSM-IV trichotillomania.

TRIAL REGISTRATION:

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00182507.

• Authors: Michael Van Ameringen, Catherine Mancini, Beth Patterson, Mark Bennett, Jonathan Oakman
• Journal: The Journal of clinical psychiatry (J Clin Psychiatry) Vol. 71 Issue 10 Pg. 1336-43 (Oct 2010) ISSN: 1555-2101 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20441724 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © Copyright 2010 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Placebos
• Benzodiazepines
• Olanzapine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Antipsychotic Agents (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Benzodiazepines (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Olanzapine
• Placebos
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Severity of Illness Index
• Trichotillomania (drug therapy)