The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
<b>Objective</b>: This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by synthesizing evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a literature se...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/353 |
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| author | Michel Haddad Luiz Henrique Junqueira Dieckmann Thiago Wendt Viola Melissa Ribeiro de Araújo Naielly Rodrigues da Silva Jair de Jesus Mari |
| author_facet | Michel Haddad Luiz Henrique Junqueira Dieckmann Thiago Wendt Viola Melissa Ribeiro de Araújo Naielly Rodrigues da Silva Jair de Jesus Mari |
| author_sort | Michel Haddad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Objective</b>: This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by synthesizing evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a literature search in PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, focusing on fluvoxamine’s efficacy in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), and OCD. We included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing fluvoxamine to a placebo or other drugs. The quality of evidence from the included reviews was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews—version 2 (AMSTAR-2). <b>Results</b>: The study included fourteen systematic reviews (five for OCD, three for SAD, and six for PD), covering thirty-seven RCTs (sixteen for OCD, six for SAD, and fifteen for PD), with a total of 3621 patients (1745 with OCD, 1034 with SAD, and 842 with PD). A high-quality systematic review demonstrated that fluvoxamine is superior to a placebo in improving symptoms and the response rates for OCD. Three meta-analyses comparing fluvoxamine to clomipramine in OCD found no significant differences in efficacy regarding symptom improvement. Two additional systematic reviews, both rated as high quality, confirmed the superiority of fluvoxamine in reducing symptom severity and improving the response rates in patients with SAD compared to a placebo. However, the findings for PD were inconsistent. A meta-analysis, also rated as high quality, found that while fluvoxamine showed better response rates than a placebo, the difference was not statistically significant. <b>Conclusions</b>: Overall, the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of OCD and SAD was demonstrated. While some reviews highlighted its potential in alleviating GAD, its impact on panic-specific outcomes remained inconsistent. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10f33634442f4bb3a8444eeddfb27d9f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj-art-10f33634442f4bb3a8444eeddfb27d9f2025-08-20T02:42:24ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-02-0118335310.3390/ph18030353The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-AnalysesMichel Haddad0Luiz Henrique Junqueira Dieckmann1Thiago Wendt Viola2Melissa Ribeiro de Araújo3Naielly Rodrigues da Silva4Jair de Jesus Mari5Department of Psychiatry, Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo 01404-000, BrazilDepartment of Psychiatry, Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo 01404-000, BrazilBrain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre 90610-000, BrazilDepartment of Psychiatry, Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo 01404-000, BrazilDepartment of Psychiatry, Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, São Paulo 01404-000, BrazilDepartment of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo 04017-030, Brazil<b>Objective</b>: This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by synthesizing evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a literature search in PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, focusing on fluvoxamine’s efficacy in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD), and OCD. We included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing fluvoxamine to a placebo or other drugs. The quality of evidence from the included reviews was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews—version 2 (AMSTAR-2). <b>Results</b>: The study included fourteen systematic reviews (five for OCD, three for SAD, and six for PD), covering thirty-seven RCTs (sixteen for OCD, six for SAD, and fifteen for PD), with a total of 3621 patients (1745 with OCD, 1034 with SAD, and 842 with PD). A high-quality systematic review demonstrated that fluvoxamine is superior to a placebo in improving symptoms and the response rates for OCD. Three meta-analyses comparing fluvoxamine to clomipramine in OCD found no significant differences in efficacy regarding symptom improvement. Two additional systematic reviews, both rated as high quality, confirmed the superiority of fluvoxamine in reducing symptom severity and improving the response rates in patients with SAD compared to a placebo. However, the findings for PD were inconsistent. A meta-analysis, also rated as high quality, found that while fluvoxamine showed better response rates than a placebo, the difference was not statistically significant. <b>Conclusions</b>: Overall, the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of OCD and SAD was demonstrated. While some reviews highlighted its potential in alleviating GAD, its impact on panic-specific outcomes remained inconsistent.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/353fluvoxaminepanic disordersocial anxiety disorderobsessive-compulsive disordersystematic reviews |
| spellingShingle | Michel Haddad Luiz Henrique Junqueira Dieckmann Thiago Wendt Viola Melissa Ribeiro de Araújo Naielly Rodrigues da Silva Jair de Jesus Mari The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Pharmaceuticals fluvoxamine panic disorder social anxiety disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder systematic reviews |
| title | The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
| title_full | The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
| title_fullStr | The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
| title_short | The Efficacy of Fluvoxamine in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses |
| title_sort | efficacy of fluvoxamine in anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder an overview of systematic reviews and meta analyses |
| topic | fluvoxamine panic disorder social anxiety disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder systematic reviews |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/353 |
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