Recruiting

Antidepressant DiscontinuationAntidepressant Discontinuation in Treatment Resistant Depression

Sponsor:

University of Louisville

Code:

NCT03786614

Conditions

Treatment Resistant Depression

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Discontinuation of serotonergic antidepressants

Continuation of serotonergic medications

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects on depressive symptoms of subjects who discontinue serotonergic antidepressants (a certain type of antidepressant, such as Prozac, that works on serotonin receptors in the brain) with the effects on depressive symptoms of subjects who continue to take serotonergic antidepressants. During this study, subjects will also be presented with the opportunity to undergo genetic testing for the serotonin gene transporter which has a short or long form. This is being done because it has been demonstrated that genetic testing improves outcome while treating treatment-resistant depression.

Conditions

Treatment Resistant Depression

Study ID

NCT03786614

Start date

Jun 20, 2019

Status verified date

Aug, 2023

Completion date

Dec, 2024

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2024

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects must be a man or woman 18 to 70 years of age, inclusive.
Subject must meet criteria for a major depressive disorder as confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview \[MINI\].
Subjects must have a current Treatment-Resistant Depression as defined below.
Subjects must have been taking serotonergic antidepressants (serotonin reuptake inhibitor or monoamine oxidase inhibitor) for at least 2 years but not more than 4 years, and have failed 2 previous medication trial for the current episode. Current Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale \[MADRS\] score must be equal to or more than 25.
Subject must be medically stable.
Female subjects must have a negative urine pregnancy test at screening, and agree to avoid pregnancy during the study.
Each subject must sign an informed consent form indicating that he/she understands the purpose of the study and the procedures required and are willing to participate in the study.
Subject must be able to participate in symptom measurement.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subject has a current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 \[DSM-5\] diagnosis of bipolar disorder or has a positive screening for bipolar disorder by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview \[MINI\] or Mood Disorder Questionnaire \[MDQ\].
Subject has a current DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, autistic disorder, or intellectual disability.
Subject has a substance use disorder (except for nicotine or cannabis) within 3 months prior to screening or has a positive drug screen test for any recreational drugs at the time of screening with the exception of Cannabis.
Subject has evidence of any clinically significant, unstable medical problems that may create a safety risk for a subject, interfere with study participation, or make results difficult to interpret.
Subject is at imminent risk of suicide according to the investigator's clinical judgment and/or a Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) 3 or more at any time in the study.
Subject is a woman who is pregnant, breast-feeding or planning to become pregnant while enrolled in the study.
Subject has any condition (according to the investigator) for which participation will not be the best interest for the subject or it can prevent, limit or confound the protocol-specified assessments.

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Discontinuation arm

This group will be discontinued from serotonergic antidepressants and shifting them to other categories of antidepressants, i.e., medications that work through dopamine or nor-epinephrine, or by reducing the serotonin signal rather than increasing synaptic serotonin, as might be accomplished with low dose, sub-anti-psychotic doses of some second-generation anti-psychotics.

active comparator: Continuation arm

This group will continue taking serotonergic antidepressants which is the standard care of treatment.

Interventions

Discontinuation of serotonergic antidepressants

Discontinuation of serotonergic antidepressants and possibly shift to other antidepressant categories that were proven to be effective in treating depression such as pramipexole, bupropion, quetiapine, lurasidone, brexpipazole. Additionally, subjects will have access to other treatment measures of treating treatment resistant depression.

Continuation of serotonergic medications

Continuation of serotonergic medications which is the standard care of treatment. Additionally, subjects will have access to other treatment measures of treating treatment resistant depression.

Primary outcome measure

Comparing the difference of response as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS] between both arms. [ Time Frame: From baseline and every visit [every 4 weeks] to the end of the study. [6 months] ]
Comparing the difference of response as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS] between subjects with low expressing alleles and high expressing alleles of the serotonin gene transporter. [ Time Frame: End of study [6 months]. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Lucas Miozza

502-588-0678 lgmioz01@louisville.edu

Locations

University of Louisville, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Recruiting

Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202

Contacts

Lucas Miozza

502-588-0678 lgmioz01@louisville.edu

Principal Investigator:

Rif S. El-Mallakh, MD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Louisville

Last update posted

Aug 18, 2023

Last verified

Aug, 2023

Keywords

treatment resistant depression
serotonergic antidepressants
short form of serotonin transporter

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Louisville on 2023-08-18.