L-carnosine as an adjuvant to fluvoxamine in treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: A randomized double-blind study.

Abstract

Dysregulation of glutamate is implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Consistently, glutamate-modulating agents, such as riluzole and memantine have been used in OCD treatment. Previous research has identified some neuroprotective role for L-carnosine potentially via its modulatory effect on glutamate. Here, we assessed the efficacy of L-carnosine as adjuvant to fluvoxamine in OCD treatment. Forty-four patients diagnosed with moderate to severe OCD were recruited in a randomized double-blind trial. Patients received either L-carnosine or placebo as adjuvant to fluvoxamine for 10weeks. The Yale- Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used for assessing the severity of symptoms at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, and 10. General linear model repeated measure showed significant effects for Time×Treatment interaction on total Y-BOCS [F (2.10, 88.42)=8.66, p<0.001], obsession [F (1.88, 79.34)=4.96, p=0.01] and compulsion [F (1.88, 79.11)=4.57, p=0.01]. At week 10, the change from baseline in Y-BOCS scores was 8.86±2.89 (mean±SD) in the L-carnosine group compared to 5.86±2.88 in the placebo group. L-carnosine results in significant reduction of obsessive-compulsive symptoms when used as an adjuvant to fluvoxamine.