A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF CLOMIPRAMINE AND DESIPRAMINE IN THE TREATMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL STUTTERING

Background: Clomipramine, a serotonin reuptake blocker that has been s hown to be effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and oth er unwanted repetitive, ritualized behaviors, was hypothesized to be s uperior to desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant with selective nora drenergic effects, for developmental stuttering. Method: Seventeen psy chiatrically normal subjects, aged 14-61 years, with developmental stu ttering completed a 10-week double-blind crossover trial of clomiprami ne and desipramine after a 2-week single-blind placebo phase. Results: Clomipramine was superior to desipramine (two-tailed, p < .05) for 5 of 10 self-report ratings including stuttering severity on two scales, degree of preoccupation with stuttering and resistance to stuttering on a visual analog scale, and ''expectancy'' of stuttering on the Perc eptions of Stuttering Inventory. Conclusion: Clomipramine may be clini cally useful for some patients with developmental stuttering. Biologic al links between developmental stuttering and other repetitive motor p atterns that are selectively responsive to serotonergic agents should be explored.