Augmenting Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonist Deprescribing With Acupuncture and Yoga Among Older Adults

September 4, 2026 updated by: Gurjeet Birdee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Augmenting Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonist Deprescribing With Acupuncture and Yoga

The main purpose of this 12-week study is to see if a new combination of treatments can help older adults reduce benzodiazepine or related medication use. The treatment combination consists of 1) medical provider visits to gradually reduce the medication dose over 12 weeks, 2) acupuncture treatments, and 3) private yoga classes. Participants will be offered weekly visits for 12 weeks to receive combined treatments. Participants will be provided surveys before, during, and after the study to learn about their experience of the treatments. At the end of the study, participants will be invited to participate in a focus group to learn about their experience in the study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study consists of a single-arm clinical study among 30 older adults taking benzodiazepine receptor antagonists (BRZA) to assess the feasibility of protocol-driven BRZA deprescribing augmented with combined acupuncture and yoga. Adults 65 years or older that are taking BRZA will be recruited. Deprescribing will be provided at weekly visits with a psychiatric nurse practitioner at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Participants will receive acupuncture and yoga from a staff acupuncturist and yoga instruction from a yoga instructor at the Osher Center. Feasibility of study enrollment will occur through the study enrollment period. Feasibility of study treatments will be evaluated during and after study treatment delivery. Feasibility of study outcome assessments will occur at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Throughout the research process, investigators will engage a Stakeholder Advisory Panel consisting of patients and clinicians.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
23

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37203
        • Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 65 years and older
  • Taking benzodiazepines or related medications (i.e. zolpidem, zopiclone, eszopiclone, zaleplon) at least 4 times in the last month
  • English speaking
  • Ability to understand study procedures and to comply with them for the length of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cognitive impairment
  • Drinking more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day
  • Substance abuse disorder
  • Uncontrolled psychiatric disorder, such as major depression or psychosis
  • Inability or unwillingness of individual or legal guardian.representative to give written informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Feasibility, Adherence and Acceptability Measure

Assay of feasibility of study enrollment and feasibility of study treatments, the latter of which is measured via fidelity, adherence, and acceptability of/to treatments and interventions. Interventions administered for 12 weeks. Fidelity, adherence, and acceptability will be measured via patient survey and engagement.
Other: Acupuncture

Patients will receive acupuncture for 12 weeks.

Other: Yoga

Patients will receive yoga therapy with one of three yoga instructors. Patients will remain with singular yoga instructor for duration of study. It is anticipated that patients will participate in yoga therapy for 12 weeks at home and in-clinic.

Other: Deprescribing

Deprescribing of patients' benzodiazepine use will be monitored by psychiatric nurse. Tapering method will be followed for medication deprescription.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
BRZA Dose Change
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

Dose of BRZA for patients will be measured at baseline and 12 weeks
Baseline to 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Insomnia
Time Frame: Baseline to12 weeks

Will use Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System(PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance Computerized Adaptive Testing to assess difficulties staying and falling asleep. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 100, with higher scores determining worse outcomes.
Baseline to12 weeks
Anxiety
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

Will use Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System(PROMIS) Anxiety Computerized Adaptive Testing. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 100, with higher scores determining worse outcomes.
Baseline to 12 weeks
Proportion of Participants Whom the Investigators Collect Primary and Secondary Outcomes.
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

Will estimate feasibility of data collection for study measures by calculating proportion of participants whom the investigators collect primary and secondary outcomes.
Baseline to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Gurjeet Birdee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 14, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 23, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 26, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 26, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 230716
  • R24AG064025 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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