Fluvoxamine/pimozide treatment of concurrent Tourette's and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Br J Psychiatry. 1990 Nov:157:762-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.157.5.762.

Abstract

A 25-year-old man with a history of Tourette's syndrome presented for treatment of OCD symptoms. Fluvoxamine worsened tics, led to coprolalia, and did not help the OCD. The addition of pimozide dramatically reduced both OCD and Tourette's symptoms. Double-blind sequential discontinuation of fluvoxamine and pimozide confirmed that pimozide alone reduced only tics and the combination of fluvoxamine and pimozide was required for the improvement in OCD. Tics may reflect a subtype of OCD. Some OCD patients unresponsive to a 5-HT reuptake inhibitor alone may benefit from the addition of a dopamine antagonist.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Fluvoxamine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neurologic Examination
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Oximes / administration & dosage*
  • Pimozide / administration & dosage*
  • Serotonin Antagonists*
  • Tourette Syndrome / drug therapy*
  • Tourette Syndrome / psychology

Substances

  • Oximes
  • Serotonin Antagonists
  • Pimozide
  • Fluvoxamine