Status:
COMPLETED
L-arginine in Treatment as Usual in Schizophrenia
Lead Sponsor:
University of Alberta
Collaborating Sponsors:
Alberta Health services
Conditions:
Schizophrenia
Eligibility:
All Genders
18-65 years
Phase:
NA
Brief Summary
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the addition of L-arginine to treatment as usual (TAU) in schizophrenia further improves and enhances therapeutic efficacy (positive, negative and depressive sym...
Detailed Description
In the current study, our goals were to examine the clinical benefits of the nitric oxide (NO) donor and main precursor of NO, L-arginine, to further improve the symptoms of schizophrenia with minimum...
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion
- Aged 18-65 years
- Diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) criteria
- Competent and willing to give informed consent
- Able to take oral medication and likely to complete the required evaluations.
- Medication remained stable 4 weeks prior to baseline.
- Female participants of child bearing capability must be willing to use adequate contraceptives (4.6.1a) for the duration of the study, and, willing to have a pregnancy test pretreatment and during the study.
- Adequate contraception is defined as use of contraceptive double barrier system (i.e. condom and spermicide) or contraceptive implant, oral contraceptive or injected depot contraceptive plus other form of contraceptive, i.e. condom. Females will be considered incapable of child bearing if they are one year postmenopausal or irreversibly surgically sterilised.
Exclusion
- Relevant medical illness \[serious renal, diabetes, hepatic, cardiac, low- or high-blood-pressure or other illnesses\] in the opinion of the investigators. In particular, history of past or recent cardiac illness, MI and abnormal ECG and current treatments for cardiac illness. The results of the Laboratory Investigations (LFT, TFT, RFT, WBC, ECG, platelets, blood chemistry, lipids, weight/BMI) will be taken into account in determining the exclusion criteria.
- Relevant medical illness will be determined in the first instance by asking the patients mental health care team if the patient has any medical condition/problems. After consent has been obtained, the research nurse/research doctor will then have access to the patient's notes and if necessary communicate with his/her GP and will assess patient eligibility to take part in the clinical trial by scrutinising the patient's past medical history, most recent blood results, electrocardiograms, as well as any physical tests that have been performed on the patient. If there are any deviations from the 'norm' the investigators will assess the eligibility of the individual patient.
- Patients receiving active treatments for Herpes virus as L-arginine may counteract the benefits of lysine to treat herpes virus
- Patients who are currently receiving NSAIDs or other drugs that can cause significant stomach an gastrointestinal side-effects
- Drugs that alter potassium levels in the body, such as ACE inhibitors and potassium sparing diuretics
- Patients who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this amino acid
- Patients who are breastfeeding
- Prior history of intolerance to L-arginine
- Any significant change of psychotropic medications done within the previous 4 weeks
- Diagnosis of substance abuse (except nicotine or caffeine) or dependence within the last three months according to DSM-IV criteria
Key Trial Info
Start Date :
September 1 2009
Trial Type :
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation :
ACTUAL
End Date :
October 1 2012
Estimated Enrollment :
13 Patients enrolled
Trial Details
Trial ID
NCT00718510
Start Date
September 1 2009
End Date
October 1 2012
Last Update
September 5 2017
Active Locations (1)
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1
Alberta Hospital Edmonton
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 2J7