Status:

COMPLETED

Citalopram for Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease

Lead Sponsor:

JHSPH Center for Clinical Trials

Collaborating Sponsors:

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Conditions:

Alzheimer's Disease

Agitation

Eligibility:

All Genders

Phase:

PHASE3

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of citalopram for agitation in Alzheimer's dementia.

Detailed Description

This study is designed to examine the efficacy and safety of citalopram as treatment for clinically significant agitation in Alzheimer's dementia (AD) patients. It will also investigate pharmacogenomi...

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

  • Inclusion criteria
  • Probable Alzheimer's disease (National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria), with Mini-Mental score of 5-28 inclusive
  • A medication for agitation is appropriate, in the opinion of the study physician
  • Clinically significant agitation for which either
  • the frequency of agitation as assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is 'Very frequently', or
  • the frequency of agitation as assessed by the NPI is 'Frequently' AND the severity of the agitation as assessed by the NPI is 'Moderate', or 'Marked'
  • Provision of informed consent for participation in the study by patient or surrogate (if necessary) and caregiver
  • Availability of primary caregiver, who spends several hours a week with the patient and supervises his/her care, to accompany the patient to study visits and to participate in the study
  • No change to Alzheimer's disease (AD) medications within the month preceding randomization, including starting, stopping, or dosage modifications
  • Exclusion criteria
  • Meets criteria for Major Depressive Episode by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV (TR)) criteria
  • Presence of a brain disease that might otherwise explain the presence of dementia, such as extensive brain vascular disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, traumatic brain injury, or multiple sclerosis
  • Psychosis (delusions or hallucinations) requiring antipsychotic treatment in the opinion of the study physician
  • Prolonged measure of the time between the start of the Q wave and the end of the T wave in the heart's electrical cycle (QT interval)
  • Treatment with citalopram is contraindicated in the opinion of the study physician
  • Failure of past treatment with citalopram for agitation after adequate trial at a minimally accepted dose (greater than or equal to 20 mg/day)
  • Treatment with a medication that would prohibit the safe concurrent use of citalopram, such as Monoamine oxidases (MAO) inhibitors
  • Need for psychiatric hospitalization or suicidal
  • Current participation in a clinical trial or in any study that may add a significant burden or affect neuropsychological or other study outcomes
  • Current treatment with antipsychotics, anticonvulsants (other than dilantin), other antidepressants (other than trazodone, less than or equal to 50 mg per day at bedtime), benzodiazepines (other than lorazepam), or psychostimulants
  • Any condition that, in the opinion of the study physician, makes it medically inappropriate or risky for the patient to enroll in the trial

Exclusion

    Key Trial Info

    Start Date :

    July 1 2009

    Trial Type :

    INTERVENTIONAL

    Allocation :

    ACTUAL

    End Date :

    September 1 2013

    Estimated Enrollment :

    186 Patients enrolled

    Trial Details

    Trial ID

    NCT00898807

    Start Date

    July 1 2009

    End Date

    September 1 2013

    Last Update

    June 27 2014

    Active Locations (8)

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    Page 1 of 2 (8 locations)

    1

    University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Memory and Aging Center

    Los Angeles, California, United States, 90089

    2

    VA Palo Alto Health Care System

    Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304

    3

    Johns Hopkins University

    Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224

    4

    Columbia University

    New York, New York, United States, 10032