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

March 24, 2017 updated by: Jack Cornelius, University of Pittsburgh
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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Alcohol dependence (AD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are among the most frequent psychiatric disorders in the general population, and the co-occurrence of those disorders represents a significant public health problem. Levels of alcohol use have been shown to be associated with levels of depressive symptoms among comorbid populations. Previous medication trials with SSRI antidepressants in this comorbid population have produced disappointing results. Mirtazapine is a non-SSRI 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. Our own recent open label pilot study suggested robust within-group efficacy for mirtazapine for decreasing both the drinking and the depressive symptoms of AD/MDD subjects. 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 pilot study to provide a preliminary assessment of 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 study 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 versus placebo in this comorbid population.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

16

Phase

  • Phase 2

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
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

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

16 years to 53 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of current alcohol dependence, confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
  • DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of current major depressive disorder, confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any person who meets criteria for alcohol-induced depression
  • Any psychotic disorder bipolar disorder, mental retardation, impaired cognitive functioning, or use of any psychotropic medication in the previous month
  • Current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria for dependence on substances other than alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, or caffeine
  • Significant neurological conditions or medical conditions
  • Persistent elevation of liver function enzymes indicating active liver disease (elevated t. bilirubin or elevation to three-time normal range of liver enzymes, SGOT, SGPT, or g-GTP)
  • The presence of renal function impairment defined as serum creatinine >2x upper limit of normal
  • Pregnancy, inability or unwillingness to use contraceptive methods
  • Use of any antidepressant medication in the prior two months, or any lifetime use of mirtazapine
  • Inability to read or understand study forms and agree to 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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 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: 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.
Other Names:
  • Remeron
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.
Active Comparator: 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.
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.
Other Names:
  • Remeron
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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Drinks Per Drinking Day
Time Frame: 12 Weeks
Level of drinking, as indicated by the number of drinks per day as recorded on the Timeline Follow-Back calendar.
12 Weeks
Level of Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: 12 Weeks
Level of depressive symptoms, as indicated by the score on the Beck Depression Inventory. The Beck Depression Inventory II scoring range is as follows: 0-13 minimal depressive symptoms, 14-19 mild depressive symptoms, 20-28 moderate depressive symptoms and 29-63 severe depressive symptoms.
12 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Collaborators

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jack R Cornelius, M.D., M.P.H., University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

September 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 26, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 3, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

July 9, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 24, 2017

Last Verified

March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R21AA022123 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 5R21AA022123-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

IPD Plan Description

No individual subject data will be shared.

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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