TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of benzodiazepines in obsessive-compulsive disorder
AU - Starcevic, Vladan
AU - Berle, David
AU - Rosário, Maria Conceiçāo do
AU - Brakoulias, Vlasios
AU - Ferrāo, Ygor A.
AU - Viswasam, Kirupamani
AU - Shavitt, Roseli
AU - Miguel, Euripedes
AU - Fontenelle, Leonardo F.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This study aimed to determine the frequency of benzodiazepine (BDZ) use in a large sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ascertain the type of BDZ used and the correlates and predictors of BDZ use in OCD. The sample consisted of 955 patients with OCD from a comprehensive, cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted by the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders between 2003 and 2009. The rate of BDZ use over time in this OCD sample was 38.4%. Of individuals taking BDZs, 96.7% used them in combination with other medications, usually serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The most commonly used BDZ was clonazepam. Current age, current level of anxiety and number of additional medications for OCD taken over time significantly predicted BDZ use. This is the first study to comprehensively examine BDZ use in OCD patients, demonstrating that it is relatively common, despite recommendations from treatment guidelines. Use of BDZs in combination with several other medications over time and in patients with marked anxiety suggests that OCD patients taking BDZs may be more complex and more difficult to manage. This calls for further research and clarification of the role of BDZs in the treatment of OCD. © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
AB - This study aimed to determine the frequency of benzodiazepine (BDZ) use in a large sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ascertain the type of BDZ used and the correlates and predictors of BDZ use in OCD. The sample consisted of 955 patients with OCD from a comprehensive, cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted by the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders between 2003 and 2009. The rate of BDZ use over time in this OCD sample was 38.4%. Of individuals taking BDZs, 96.7% used them in combination with other medications, usually serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The most commonly used BDZ was clonazepam. Current age, current level of anxiety and number of additional medications for OCD taken over time significantly predicted BDZ use. This is the first study to comprehensively examine BDZ use in OCD patients, demonstrating that it is relatively common, despite recommendations from treatment guidelines. Use of BDZs in combination with several other medications over time and in patients with marked anxiety suggests that OCD patients taking BDZs may be more complex and more difficult to manage. This calls for further research and clarification of the role of BDZs in the treatment of OCD. © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
KW - anxiety
KW - benzodiazepines
KW - clonazepam
KW - obsessive, compulsive disorder
UR - http://handle.westernsydney.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:51097
U2 - 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000100
DO - 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000100
M3 - Article
SN - 0268-1315
VL - 31
SP - 27
EP - 33
JO - International Clinical Psychopharmacology
JF - International Clinical Psychopharmacology
IS - 1
ER -