Sertraline Pharmacotherapy for Alcoholism Subtypes

UConn Health

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 4

Conditions

Alcoholism

Treatments

Drug: Sertraline

Drug: Placebo

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00368550

03-225-2

R01AA013631 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Sertraline, compared to placebo, is effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence as a function of the subtype of alcoholic patient being treated. This involved administering sertraline (to a maximum of 200 mg/day) or an inactive placebo for a 14-week treatment period.

Full description

In an effort to broaden the options for pharmacotherapy of alcoholism, this study will examine the effects of sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), for the treatment of alcohol dependence. The study is based on evidence that, although SSRI therapy is not appropriate for all alcoholics, there exists a substantial subgroup of alcoholics for whom SSRIs appear to exert a clinically important effect. Sertraline is among the most widely prescribed psychotropic medications in the world. Consequently, this study will examine the safety and efficacy of sertraline, the mechanism and duration of those effects and the best method for subtyping alcoholics to identify individuals for whom the medication is most likely to produce a clinically important reduction in drinking behavior.

The study employs a parallel-group, prospective design in which randomization is balanced on patient subtype (early-onset/late-onset) and other relevant pretreatment measures with an approximately equal number of subjects assigned to treatment with sertraline (to a maximum of 200 mg/day) or placebo. The study will include a 14-week treatment period; because the 2 weeks are for medication taper, efficacy will be evaluated over the first 12 treatment weeks. A total of 160 early-onset or late-onset alcoholics will be randomized. Daily process measures of positive and negative events, global perceived stress, mood, desire to drink, and drinking frequency and intensity, collected using interactive voice response technology, will provide insight into the mechanisms by which sertraline may exert its effects. Coping-skills training will be provided weekly for the first 6 weeks, then every other week for the last 8 weeks of the study. A 6-month post-treatment follow-up period will evaluate the duration of medication effects. This study will also examine the relation between genotypes at a number of relevant loci and both risk of alcohol dependence and response to sertraline treatment.

Enrollment

134 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 65 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Current episode (i.e., in the preceding month) of alcohol dependence defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed (DSM-IV) criteria
18-65 years of age
Abstinent from alcohol for a period of at least 3 days prior to baseline research assessment
Able to read English and complete study evaluations
Male, or if female, without active reproductive potential
Participants will have signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Currently meets criteria for dependence on a psychoactive substance other than alcohol and nicotine
Regular use of psychoactive drugs including anxiolytics and antidepressants
Current use of disulfiram or naltrexone
Current major depression or psychosis (or other severe psychiatric disability e.g., suicidality, current mania)
Significant underlying medical conditions such as hepatic, cerebral, renal, thyroid, or cardiac pathology, which in the opinion of the evaluating physician would preclude the patient from study adherence or be of potential harm to the subject