Divalproex Sodium (Depakote) for Explosive Tempers in Adolescents and Adults

August 8, 2017 updated by: New York State Psychiatric Institute

Parallel Groups Study of Divalproex Sodium (Depakote) for Irritable, Explosive Adults & Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of divalproex sodium (Depakote) versus placebo in treating disruptive behavior disorder and explosive tempers in adolescents and adults.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Disruptive behavior disorders among children and adolescents are readily diagnosed; however, few individuals with such disorders receive drug treatment. Depakote is a mood stabilizing medication that may be beneficial in treating individuals with disruptive behavior disorders. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of Depakote in reducing temper outbursts and improving mood in individuals with disruptive behavior disorders. In addition, this study will determine the safety and effectiveness of Depakote in treating individuals with substance disorders who also have disruptive behavior disorders.

This study will last 6 weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive treatment with Depakote or placebo. Medication will be given in a single evening dose if tolerated; otherwise, medication will be given twice per day. Participants will be assigned to a fixed-flexible dosing schedule and dosages will increase based on weight. All participants will attend weekly psychotherapy and family counseling sessions throughout the study. Participants who are substance abusers will also receive substance abuse counseling. Weekly study visits will include a physical exam, blood collection, and drug tests. Teachers and guidance counselors will be contacted to assess the participant's behavior from week to week. Some participants will complete a follow-up study, in which they will take part in phone interviews.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

25

Phase

  • Phase 3

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
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • New York State Psychiatric Institute

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

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 55 years (ADULT, CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meets DSM-IV criteria for a disruptive behavior disorder (e.g., oppositional/defiant disorder, conduct disorder)
  • Explosive temper, defined as four or more outbursts of rage, property destruction, or fighting per month
  • Mood liability, defined as having multiple, daily, distinct shifts from normal to irritable mood with withdrawn or boisterous behavior
  • Chronic symptoms, defined of at least 1 year duration when not receiving treatment
  • Impairment from the above symptoms in two or more areas, including school, the law, family, substance use, peers, or work (as manifested by a GAF score of 55 or less)
  • Symptoms not limited to a particular place or to particular intimate relationships
  • General good health
  • Custodial parent or guardian gives informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of non drug-induced psychosis
  • Seizure or other neurologic disturbance
  • Pregnant
  • Moderate to severe mental retardation
  • Sexually active females who refuse to use an adequate method of contraception for the duration of the study
  • Significant medical problems
  • Current suicidal or homicidal ideation
  • Uses barbiturates
  • Refusal to permit weekly contact with school officials
  • Bipolar I or II disorder
  • Major depressive disorder
  • First degree relative with bipolar I or II disorder
  • Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
  • Post traumatic stress disorder
  • Clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism in a female
  • Liver disease
  • Thrombocytopenia
  • Pancreatic disease

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: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: 1
Divalproex sodium (Depakote). This is a parallel groups design lasting a total of six weeks. Participants will be on a fixed-flexible dosing schedule. The dose of depakote will be raised to 750mgs or 1000mgs, depending on weight, in two weeks to achieve blood levels between 50-130 micrograms per milliliter. If a patient does not achieve this blood level on 750mgs or 1000 mgs, the dose may be raised during the second week.
Drug: Divalproex Sodium
Participants are titrated over 2 weeks, as tolerated to 10 mgs / pound, and blood levels are checked to determine that the blood level is between 50-110 micrograms / ml.
Other Names:
  • Depakote
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: 2
This is a parallel groups design lasting a total of six weeks. Participants will be on matching placebo for 250 mgs divalproex sodium (Depakote).
Drug: Placebo
Participants will be on matching placebo.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Symptoms of disruptive behavior disorder
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Measure symptoms of disruptive behavior disorder with the modified overt aggression scale throughout the study and at Week 6
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

New York State Psychiatric Institute

Collaborators

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Stephen Donovan, MD, New York State Psychiatric Institute

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)

February 1, 2000

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

February 18, 2005

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

February 18, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 16, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2005

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

September 22, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

August 10, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2017

Last Verified

August 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • #4767R
  • R01DA012234 (NIH)

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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