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Fluoxetine vs EMDR to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

NCT00000379 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Last updated 2014-02-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare two treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): fluoxetine (an antidepressant) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR, a psychological treatment in which the patient is led through the memory of a traumatic experience in order to heal him/herself).

There are a variety of therapies used to treat PTSD, but the effectiveness of medication alone vs an exposure treatment, such as EMDR, has not been tested.

Patients will be assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to one of three groups for 8 weeks of treatment. Group 1 will receive fluoxetine; Group 2 will receive EMDR; and Group 3 will receive inactive placebo. Patients will then stop treatment and have evaluations, including psychological tests, at the time treatment is stopped, 8 weeks later, and at 6 months.

An individual may be eligible for this study if he/she:

Has PTSD and is 18 to 65 years old.

Conditions

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Interventions

DRUG

Fluoxetine

BEHAVIORAL

EMDR

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

    collaborator NIH

  • Boston University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
1999-01-31
Completion
2003-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00000379 on ClinicalTrials.gov