Augmentation of Psychotherapy With D-Cycloserine in Agoraphobia

Since decades, D-Cycloserine (DCS, drug class: Oxazolidinone) is proven to be an effective antibiotic agent in the treatment of tuberculosis. Furthermore it takes action in the central nervous system as an partial agonist on NMDA receptors. Because of glutamate mediated neuronal long-term potentiation in long-term memory DCS has an augmenting effect on emotional learning, as it occurs in exposure therapy of anxiety disorders. In this context we use DCS in addition to exposure therapy as a part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients suffering from agoraphobia with or without panic disorder. Thereby DCS is applicated oral as a capsule of 50mg, on three consecutive therapy sessions.