Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 2-3% of the population and leads to a great deal of suffering. Many patients benefit from established treatments, the mainstay of which are cognitive behavioral therapy and a group of antidepressant medications known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors. However, 20-30% of patients get minimal benefit from these established therapeutic strategies. New avenues of treatment are urgently needed.

Existing medications for obsessive-compulsive disorder affect the neurotransmitters serotonin or dopamine; but increasing evidence suggests that functional disruptions of a different neurotransmitter, glutamate, may contribute to some cases of OCD. The investigators are therefore interested in using medications that target glutamate as novel treatment options for those OCD patients who do not benefit from established treatments.

One such medication is the drug riluzole, which is FDA approved for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, but may be of benefit to patients with psychiatric disorders due to its ability to moderate excessive glutamate. In preliminary studies, in which the investigators treated patients with riluzole (in addition to their established pharmacological regimen) in an open-label fashion (that is, without a placebo-treated control group), the investigators have found about 40-50% of patients to substantially improve over 2-3 months.

While immensely promising, these preliminary studies do not prove riluzole is truly a new beneficial medication for the treatment of OCD; a more rigorous placebo-controlled trial is needed for that purpose. The investigators are therefore now recruiting patients to participate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of riluzole, added to whatever other OCD medications they are taking.


Clinical Trial Description

n/a


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT00523718
Study type Interventional
Source Yale University
Contact
Status Completed
Phase Phase 2
Start date September 2006
Completion date August 2015

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT04934007 - Bilateral Lateral OFC rTMS in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder N/A
Recruiting NCT04071990 - Family Involvement in CBGT of OCD: a Randomized Controlled Trial N/A
Completed NCT02541968 - Internet-based vs Face-to-face Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder N/A
Recruiting NCT05651295 - A Precision Medicine Approach to Target Engagement for Emotion Regulation N/A
Recruiting NCT05391503 - Light Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) N/A
Recruiting NCT04539951 - Pragmatic Trial of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Phase 2
Completed NCT03416504 - Methods for Managing Intrusive Thoughts N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT06029738 - Effect on Obsessive-Compulsive Beliefs and Symptoms of MCT-OCD N/A
Recruiting NCT02844049 - European Study of Quality of Life in Resistant OCD Patients Treated by STN DBS N/A
Terminated NCT02909660 - What Are You Looking for? Psychometric and Experimental Analyses of Reassurance Seeking in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder N/A
Completed NCT02911324 - Cannabinoid Medication for Adults With OCD Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT02217995 - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in a Clinical Sample of OCD Patients N/A
Terminated NCT02234011 - A Trial of Intranasal Ketamine for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Phase 2
Withdrawn NCT01953042 - Benefits of a Psychoeducation Program for Those Awaiting Treatment for OCD and OCD Spectrum Disorders N/A
Completed NCT02655926 - Deep Brain Stimulation for Severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder N/A
Completed NCT00742664 - Behavioral Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Youth With Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Pilot Project Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT04919785 - Deep Brain Stimulation in Severe Obsessive-compulsive Disorder N/A
Terminated NCT00758966 - Naltrexone SR and Fluoxetine Combination Therapy in Subjects With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Phase 2
Completed NCT00074815 - Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children Phase 3
Recruiting NCT04106102 - Study of the Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder N/A