- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT00000379
Fluoxetine vs EMDR to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Treatment of Outcomes of Fluoxetine vs EMDR in PTSD
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.
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
To compare the short-term and long-term efficacy of two different treatment approaches in widespread use in clinical settings for treating patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): fluoxetine (which acts directly on biological systems) vs a psychological treatment, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). To clarify: 1) the differential treatment effects of these different treatment modalities; 2) whether symptom improvement is accompanied by changes in pathophysiology; and 3) the long-term effectiveness of these treatments.
In recent years a variety of treatment approaches have been shown to be effective in the treatment of PTSD. These include prolonged exposure therapies (PE), stress inoculation training (SIT), EMDR and psychopharmacological treatment with serotonin re-uptake blockers. While PE has been compared with SIT and a study is currently under way comparing cognitive-behavioral treatment with EMDR, no study as yet has compared the relative merits of pharmacotherapy alone vs an exposure treatment. While it is commonly held that, in order to recover, people with PTSD need to "process" their traumatic memories, treatments that do not involve the processing of traumatic memories (such as SIT or pharmacotherapy) may be just as effective. In clinical practice, many patients with PTSD appear to be effectively treated with pharmacological agents alone, without trauma-focused therapy.
Patients are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) a double-blind psychopharmacological treatment (fluoxetine); 2) a manualized treatment which focuses on "processing" traumatic memories (EMDR); or 3) a placebo control group. After 8 weeks of active treatment, subjects are evaluated, cease treatment, and are assessed again after another 8 weeks and at 6 months in order to evaluate the long-term effects. Training raters remain blind to the subjects' treatment condition throughout the study. Treatment outcome is assessed with a multi-modal psychological and biological assessment battery including: 1) standard psychological tests for PTSD (CAPS); 2) neuroendocrine function (cortisol); and 3) psychophysiological response to traumatic scripts (pre-post changes in heart social and occupational functioning). Treatment adherence is monitored throughout the study.
Study Type
Phase
- Phase 3
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
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Massachusetts
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Brookline, Massachusetts, United States, 02446
- The Trauma Center
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Patients must have:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start
Primary Completion
Study Completion
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Estimate)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimate)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
- Adult
- Placebos
- Female
- Human
- Male
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
- Comparative Study
- Desensitization, Psychologic
- Eye Movements
- Fluoxetine
- Treatment Outcome
- Desensitization, Psychologic -- *methods
- Fluoxetine -- *therapeutic use
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic -- *therapy
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic -- drug therapy
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
- Mental Disorders
- Pathologic Processes
- Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
- Disease
- Stress Disorders, Traumatic
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
- Physiological Effects of Drugs
- Neurotransmitter Agents
- Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
- Enzyme Inhibitors
- Psychotropic Drugs
- Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
- Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors
- Membrane Transport Modulators
- Serotonin Agents
- Antidepressive Agents
- Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors
- Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation
- Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 Inhibitors
- Fluoxetine
Other Study ID Numbers
- R01MH058363 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
- DSIR AT-CT
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
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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