Double-blind Pilot Trial of Mirtazapine for the Treatment of Co-occurring AD/MDD.

NCT02185131 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 16

Last updated 2017-05-05

Study results available
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Summary

Mirtazapine is a non-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) medication with a unique structure and mechanism of action. Recent study results suggest that mirtazapine may be more effective and faster acting than other antidepressants. Levels of alcohol use have been shown to be associated with levels of depressive symptoms among comorbid populations. Our own recent open label pilot study suggested robust within-group efficacy for mirtazapine for decreasing both the drinking and the depressive symptoms of persons with co-occurring alcohol dependence/major depressive disorder (AD/MDD). However, no placebo control group was employed in that study, so between-group efficacy versus placebo could not be assessed. The current grant submission proposes to conduct a first double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of mirtazapine versus placebo for decreasing the alcohol use and depressive symptoms of persons with comorbid AD/MDD. If the results of this proposed double-blind pilot trial are promising, then the effect sizes found in this proposed study will be used to help design an adequately-powered R01 treatment trial to definitively test the efficacy of mirtazapine in this comorbid population.

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Mirtazapine

Gelatin capsules mirtazapine 15 mg, 1 capsule every a.m. Medication will be increased by one capsule, to a dose of 2 capsules barring side effects, at Week 2.

DRUG

Placebo

Gelatin capsules Placebo capsules, identical to mirtazapine capsules, 1 capsule every a.m. Medication will be increased by one capsule to 2 capsules at Week 2, barring any side effects.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

    collaborator NIH
  • University of Pittsburgh

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jack R Cornelius, M.D., M.P.H. · University of Pittsburgh

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-09-30
Primary Completion
2016-07-31
Completion
2016-07-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

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 NCT02185131 on ClinicalTrials.gov