Title:Comparing the Effects of a Herbal Drug based on Echium Amoenum With
Fluvoxamine in the Treatment of Adolescents with Obsessive-compulsive
Disorder
Volume: 19
Issue: 5
Author(s): Mohamad Reza Noras, Atefeh Soltanifar, Roshanak Salari, Lida Jarahi and Maryam Hosseini Abrishami*
Affiliation:
- Department of Persian Medicine, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical
Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Keywords:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, adolescent, fluvoxamine, echium amoenum, melissa officinalis, persian medicine.
Abstract:
Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe and debilitating neuropsychiatric
condition. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and cognitive-
behavioral therapy are the first-line medication and treatment for OCD, an estimated 30% of patients
are treatment-resistant, and complete functional recovery is rare. Natural products as adjuvant or
alternative therapies should be examined to find safer and more effective ways to manage OCD.
Objectives: To investigate the potential benefits of a combined herbal drug based on Echium amoenum
in treating OCD.
Methods: Design and Setting: In the psychiatric clinics of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences,
40 patients who met the criteria for the obsessive-compulsive disorder based on DSM-5 were studied
in a parallel, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.
Intervention: Subjects were randomly assigned to receive Echium amoenum-Melissa officinalis syrup
and fluvoxamine or placebo syrup and fluvoxamine for 8 weeks.
Outcome Measures: The efficacy of treatment and recurrence of disease were surveyed and compared
according to the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at weeks 0, 4, and 8.
Results: Evaluation at the 4th and 8th week showed no significant differences between the two groups
(p-value = 0.11, p-value = 0.445, respectively). At the 8th week of treatment, patients in the intervention
group showed a remarkable reduction in scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale
questionnaire (p- value= 0.003), and patients in the control group didn’t ((p- value= 0.180). This study
showed that the E.amoneum-M.officinalis syrup was not significantly more efficacious than the fluvoxamine
tablet, but the intervention group showed a significant improving trend (p-value= 0.001).
Conclusion: While monotherapy is usually the gold standard methodology, combination or augmentation
therapy may also be of merit. Consequently, studies with larger sample sizes and the inclusion of
para-clinical assessments such as serologic tests can further shed light on the mechanism of action of
the E. amoneum- M. officinalis syrup and deepen our understanding of its effects.