Clinical Efficacy of Sertraline Augmented With Gabapentin in Depressed, Recently Abstinent Cocaine-dependent Humans

Sertraline Augmented With GABA Agents for Cocaine Dependence

To examine the clinical efficacy of sertraline (200 mg/day) alone or sertraline in combination with gabapentin. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the antidepressant sertraline alone or combined with gabapentin delays time to relapse relative to placebo in recently abstinent cocaine-dependent volunteers who are also depressed. In addition, whether depressive symptoms or genetic factors influence treatment response to the study medications will be examined. Our hypothesis is that those on combined sertraline-gabapentin will show a longer period of abstinence than those on sertraline alone or placebo.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Cocaine Dependence
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: sertraline; Drug: gabapentin

Detailed Description

Subjects enrolled in this 12-wk, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial are admitted to a residential facility in North Little Rock (RCA-NLR) and randomized by depressive symptom severity to receive one of the following: sertraline alone (200 mg/day), sertraline (200 mg/day) plus gabapentin (1200 mg/day), or placebo. Subjects are expected to participate in the Substance Abuse Day Treatment Program while residing on the RCA-NLR and being inducted onto the maintenance dose of study medication (weeks 1-2). When participants transfer to the Outpatient Treatment Research Unit (TRU) at the start of their third week, they will continue to receive study medications or placebo (weeks 3-12) and they will be expected to participate in weekly individual cognitive behavioral therapy. Supervised urines and vital signs will be obtained thrice weekly; self-reported adverse effects, mood and drug use self-reports will be obtained once weekly. At the end of 12 weeks, participants will be tapered off the study medication over a five-day period, discharged from the study, and referred to an appropriate treatment or treatment/research program in the community if they are interested.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 102
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205 7911
      • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-65 years old
• not currently enrolled in a treatment program
• subjects must have a history of cocaine use, with street cocaine use by history being a minimum of 1 gram during the preceding 3 months
• subjects must meet DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence as assessed by the substance abuse section of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID and SCID-SAC)
• subjects must have laboratory confirmation of recent cocaine use (positive urine for cocaine or benzoylecgonine) during the month prior to study entry
• subjects must score at least 15 on the Hamilton Depression Scale
• women of childbearing age must have a negative pregnancy test to enroll in this study and must agree to monthly pregnancy testing

Exclusion Criteria:

• current diagnosis of other drug or alcohol physical dependence (other than cocaine or tobacco)
• ill health (e.g., major cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, hepatic disorder)
• history of schizophrenia, or bipolar type I disorder
• present or recent use of over-the-counter or prescription psychoactive drug or drug(s) that would be expected to have major interaction with drug to be tested
• medical contraindication to receiving study medications (e.g., for sertraline, use of monoamine oxidase inhibitor within last two weeks; significant history of seizures; significant history of head trauma or serious neurological disorders)
• current suicidality or psychosis
• Liver function tests (i.e., liver enzymes) greater than three times normal levels
• pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: 1; Placebo capsules	Drug: Placebo; Placebo (cellulose or lactose) administered twice per day for 12 weeks.
Experimental: 2; sertraline (200 mg/day)	Drug: Placebo; Placebo (cellulose or lactose) administered twice per day for 12 weeks.; Drug: sertraline; Sertraline hydrochloride (200 mg/day) will be administered once daily. While subjects are at RCA-NLR they initially receive 50 mg/day of sertraline. This dose is gradually increased over a 3-week period until subjects receive 200 mg. When subjects are transferred to the outpatient program, they will be administered capsules once weekly, with take-home doses given in blister packs to take once a day for the rest of the week.
Experimental: 3; sertraline (200 mg/day) plus gabapentin (1,200 mg/day)	Drug: sertraline; Sertraline hydrochloride (200 mg/day) will be administered once daily. While subjects are at RCA-NLR they initially receive 50 mg/day of sertraline. This dose is gradually increased over a 3-week period until subjects receive 200 mg. When subjects are transferred to the outpatient program, they will be administered capsules once weekly, with take-home doses given in blister packs to take once a day for the rest of the week.; Drug: gabapentin; Gabapentin (Neurontin; Parke-Davis; 1200 mg/day) will be administered twice daily. Initially, patients will receive 200 mg twice daily on days 1-5, 400 mg twice daily on days 6-10, then 600 mg twice daily on days 11 on. Subjects are then maintained on this dose for the duration of the trial, unless side-effects are too severe, in which case the dose of gabapentin is decreased to no less 800 mg/day. If symptoms persist, subjects' participation would then be terminated.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Urine Toxicology Screens for the Presence of Cocaine/Cocaine Metabolites	Thrice-weekly urine samples were analyzed for the presence of cocaine/cocaine metabolite. Days to Relapse was defined as time to the second of two urine results consecutively positive for cocaine.	70 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 4, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): April 9, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 25, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 28, 2011
• Last Verified: March 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: relapse; sertraline; cocaine dependence; gabapentin; depressive symptoms
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Depression; Cocaine-Related Disorders; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Central Nervous System Depressants; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Serotonin Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Anti-Anxiety Agents; Anticonvulsants; Antimanic Agents; Sertraline; Gabapentin
• Other Study ID Numbers: P50DA018197 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); DPMCDA (Other Identifier: NIDA)