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Escitalopram as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar II Disorder

NCT00156325 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 10

Last updated 2006-01-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study will investigate the efficacy of Escitalopram, a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, in the treatment of Bipolar II Disorder.

The use of antidepressants for those with bipolar disorder appears common in clinical practice but is not countenanced - at least as monotherapy - in formal treatment guidelines. This view reflects concerns about the possibility of antidepressant drugs inducing switching and rapid cycling in those with Bipolar Disorder. Although the effectiveness of treating Bipolar II patients with SSRIs has received very little attention in the literature, observations of Bipolar II patients treated with SSRIs suggest they may have general mood stabilising properties. Many patients have reported improvements not only in their depressed mood, but also a reduction in the severity, duration and frequency of hypomanic episodes.

In this proof of concept study we specifically assess whether a standard dose of an SSRI antidepressant is more effective than placebo in reducing the frequency, severity and duration of both depressive and hypomanic episodes.

Conditions

  • Bipolar Disorders

Interventions

DRUG

Escitalopram (Lexapro)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The University of New South Wales

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Gordon Parker · Black Dog Institute/School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2004-02-29
Completion
2005-02-28

Countries

  • Australia

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 NCT00156325 on ClinicalTrials.gov