Comparing the Effects of Clomipramine and Fluoxetine on Fasting Blood Glucose in Children With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This study was conducted to compare the effects of clomipramine and fluoxetine on fasting blood glucose (FBS) in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty nondiabetic children with OCD entered this randomized trial. Subjects were between 7 to 17 years of age and had not received any medication that could affect blood glucose level for at least 2 weeks prior to the initiation of the study. Patients were assigned to receive 20 to 60 mg/d of fluoxetine or 75 to 200 mg/d of clomipramine for 8 weeks. The exclusion criteria were pregnancy and lactation, history of diabetes mellitus, any liver and thyroid disorder, epilepsy and major heart disease. Additionally, none of the patients should have received electroconvulsive therapy within 6 months prior to the initiation of the study. FBS levels were measured at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks after the initiation of the trial. In the fluoxetine group, FBS level was decreased from 82.93 mg/dL (baseline) to 79.73 mg/dL at week 4 (P<0.001) and to 72.53 mg/dL at week 8 (P<0.001). On the other hand, in the clomipramine group, FBS level was increased from 84.93 mg/dL (baseline) to 87.00 mg/dL at week 4 (P<0.05) and to 95.33 mg/dL at week 8 (P<0.001). This 8-week study demonstrated that FBS levels may decrease in children with OCD who received flouxetine, and may increase in those treated with clomipramine. Therefore, it is suggested that FBS levels should be monitored and taken into consideration when choosing between fluoxetine and clomipramine in the treatment of OCD.