drug therapy ocd

Question 1

what does drug therapy aim to do

Answer 1

increase/decreases lvls of neurotrasmitters in the brain ,

Question 2

ssri

Answer 2

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

-prevent serotonin from being reabsorbed and broken down in the brain
- = increases serotonin levels in synapse, allows it to keep stimulating the postsynatpic neuron

Question 3

why does ssri work

Answer 3

process helps correct serotonin system imbalances in ocd patients , reducing symptoms

Question 4

ssri dosage

Answer 4

• typical dosage of fluoxetine (ssri) , is 20mg , can be increased to 60mg , if patient is seeing no benefits

take up to 3-4 months of daily use for ssri to impact symptoms

Question 5

combining ssri’s with cbt

Answer 5

• often used along side cbt = treats ocd
  -reduces patients emotional symptoms e.g anxiety depression , meaning patient an engage more effectively with cbt

Question 6

alternatives to ssri’s , first one

Answer 6

tricyclics = older type of anti depressentant , e.g clomipramine ,

• serves same effect on serotonin system as ssris, but side effects more severe

Question 7

alternatives to ssri’s , second one

Answer 7

snris - serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors

• increase lvls of serotonin

Question 8

strength , effective at tackling ocd symptoms

Answer 8

p- effective at tackling ocd symptoms

e- soomro, reviewed 17 studied comparing ssris to placebo ( in treatment of ocd), all studies = significant better results than placebo

e- also found effectiveness = best when ssri combined with psych treatment ,e g. cbt

l- symptoms reduce for 70% of ppl taking ssri , for 30% helped by alternative drug/cbt with drug, so drug can help most patient sz

Question 9

strength = cost effective

Answer 9

p- cost effective, + non disruptove

e- drug = cheaper than psychological treatment , = using drugs for ocd = better for nhs

e- + non disruptive , ssri doesn’t require effort, takes med until symptoms improve

l- many doctors patients favour drug for this

Question 10

limitation , side effects

Answer 10

p- side effects ,

e- helps most ppl , small minority get no benefits , suffer from side effects e.g indigestion, bluured vis, loss of sex drive

e- for alternatives e.g clomipramine , side effects more serious , 1 in 10 suffer from erection issues, and weight gain , 1 in 100 become more aggressive , suffer disruption to blood pressure

l- factors reduce effectiveness , ppl stop taking med

Question 11

limitation , cause of it

Answer 11

Drugs can reduce s6mptons doesn’t address cause of it
Short term idk