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SchizophreniaPhase 4NCT00156715

Efficacy of Quetiapine in the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia and a Comorbid Substance Use Disorder

A Phase 4 study testing Quetiapine in people with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder, run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at 4 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of quetiapine (Seroquel) in reducing substance use in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. The primary hypothesis is that quetiapine treatment will be associated with a decrease in substance use. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
What is being tested?
Quetiapine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
23 participants
Where
4 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2004to Oct 2008
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18-65
  • Schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
  • Meets Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID) criteria for a substance use disorder (alcohol use disorder [AUD]; abuse or dependence)
  • Active substance use on at least 8 days during the 4 weeks prior to randomization.
  • Current treatment with antipsychotic medication.
  • Able to provide informed consent, or in the case of patients with legal court appointed guardians willing to give assent, with the consent of the guardian.
  • Not actively suicidal.

Who cannot join

  • Current treatment with, decanoate antipsychotic, clozapine, or doses of quetiapine not approved by the team of investigators. Individuals treated with depot antipsychotic must wait until the end of their injection cycle before starting on study medication.
  • Currently pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or unwilling to use an acceptable form of birth control.
  • Currently residing in a residential program designed to treat substance use disorders.
  • Treatment at baseline with a psychotropic agent proposed to curtail substance use.
  • Patients who, in the opinion of the investigator, are judged unsuitable to participate in the study.
  • Unable to take part in the assessments in a meaningful way
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Hypersensitivity/intolerance to quetiapine
  • Serious, unstable medical condition
  • Participation in clinical trial of an investigational drug within 30 days of baseline visit, or concurrent participation in a treatment study of a psychosocial intervention

Trial locations and contacts

4 sites in 1 country.

United States4 sites
  • Medical College of Georgia

    Augusta, Georgia, 30912

  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756

  • West Central Behavioral Health

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766

  • Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester

    Manchester, New Hampshire, 03101

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Efficacy of Quetiapine in Treating Patients With Active Substance Use Disorder and Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of quetiapine (Seroquel) in reducing substance use in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. The primary hypothesis is that quetiapine treatment will be associated with a decrease in substance use.

Read the detailed description

Comorbid alcohol/substance use disorder (SUD) in schizophrenia is a major concern, both in view of the high frequency of SUD among patients with schizophrenia and the difficulty in managing such patients. Though antipsychotic medications are effective in reducing symptoms and impairment in persons with schizophrenia, the typical antipsychotic agents are of limited value in controlling alcohol/substance use in these patients. Extrapyramidal, dysphoric side effects of conventional neuroleptics may actually promote the use of substances in an attempt to counteract these effects.

Novel antipsychotics have radically altered treatment expectations and outcomes for patients with severe forms of schizophrenia. With the greater availability of novel agents in clinical practice, it has been noted that these benefits have also extended to specific subgroups of patients including patients with comorbid SUD. Several retrospective studies have demonstrated a decrease in comorbid substance use in patients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine. There is little data available, however, on the efficacy of quetiapine in patients with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD. Its receptor profile, including a weak Dopamine2 (D2) receptor blocking ability and substantial effects at noradrenergic receptors, makes it a logical antipsychotic to use in the comorbid population.

The study is an open-label investigation of the efficacy of quetiapine in a group of 30 patients with schizophrenia and comorbid substance use disorder. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and a comorbid substance use disorder are switched to quetiapine for 12 weeks. We hypothesize that quetiapine treatment will be associated with a decrease in substance use. Moreover, we further hypothesize that measures of symptoms, cognition and quality of life will also improve over baseline assessments in patients treated with quetiapine. Data suggesting a beneficial effect of quetiapine will have to be confirmed in a prospective double-blind study. This pilot investigation will provide preliminary data and effect sizes that will be used in the design of this subsequent investigation.

Being tested
Quetiapine
Keywords
Quetiapine, Seroquel, Schizophrenia, Dual Diagnosis, Substance Abuse, Alcohol Abuse
Medical subject headings
Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders, Alcoholism

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • QuetiapineDrug

    Also called Seroquel

    After patients provided informed consent and completed baseline measures, quetiapine was initiated in all participants and titrated up to a target dose of 600 mg (in divided daily doses) over two weeks as the previous antipsychotic medication was slowly tapered and discontinued. Participants met with study physicians weekly to assess tolerability and response to the medication. Concomitant medications were held constant. After the initial titration period, quetiapine was dosed in a flexible manner up to 800 mg /day, with dose adjustments based on symptomatic response and side effects.

Study groups in NCT00156715
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
QuetiapineExperimentalAfter patients provided informed consent and completed baseline measures, quetiapine was initiated in all participants and titrated up to a target dose of 600 mg (in divided daily doses) over two weeks as the previous antipsychotic medication was slowly tapered and discontinued. Participants met with study physicians weekly to assess tolerability and response to the medication. Concomitant medications were held constant. After the initial titration period, quetiapine was dosed in a flexible manner up to 800 mg /day, with dose adjustments based on symptomatic response and side effects.
Receives: Drug: Quetiapine

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Mean Number of Drinking Days Per Week

    Timeline Follow-back (TLFB) procedure was used at screening and baseline to establish current substance use, and it was also used weekly during the course of the study to assess continued alcohol and other substance use. TLFB cosisted of using a calendar and sasking participants to report alcohol and other drug use since last visit. At the screening visit, the TLFB was done for the four weeks prior to the visit.

    Measured: 12 Weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Clinical Symptoms

    The main outcome measure of clinical symptoms was the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale. This is a 30 item scale for assessing patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Each item is rated on a 1 (absent) to 7 (extreme) scale. The minimum total score is 30 and the maximum is 210.

    Measured: 12 Weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted12 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2004
  3. Primary completionSep 2006
  4. Study completionOct 2008

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
23 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00156715
Sponsor's protocol ID
16563
Other IDs
IRUSQUET0063
Status last verified
Mar 2018
First submitted
6 Sep 2005
Last updated
14 Mar 2018
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Albanese MJ, Khantzian EJ, Murphy SL, Green AI. Decreased substance use in chronically psychotic patients treated with clozapine. Am J Psychiatry. 1994 May;151(5):780-1. doi: 10.1176/ajp.151.5.780b. No abstract available.

    PubMed 8166327
  • Bartels SJ, Teague GB, Drake RE, Clark RE, Bush PW, Noordsy DL. Substance abuse in schizophrenia: service utilization and costs. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1993 Apr;181(4):227-32. doi: 10.1097/00005053-199304000-00003.

    PubMed 8473874
  • Bowers MB Jr, Mazure CM, Nelson JC, Jatlow PI. Psychotogenic drug use and neuroleptic response. Schizophr Bull. 1990;16(1):81-5. doi: 10.1093/schbul/16.1.81.

    PubMed 1970670
  • Brown ES, Nejtek VA, Perantie DC, Rajan Thomas N, Rush AJ. Cocaine and amphetamine use in patients with psychiatric illness: a randomized trial of typical antipsychotic continuation or discontinuation. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2003 Aug;23(4):384-8. doi: 10.1097/01.jcp.0000085412.08426.08.

    PubMed 12920415
  • Buckley PF, Naber D: Quetiapine and sertindole: clinical use and experience. In: Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders: The New Drug Therapies in Clinical Practice. Edited by PF Buckley and JL Waddington. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.

  • Buckley P, Thompson PA, Way L, Meltzer HY. Substance abuse and clozapine treatment. J Clin Psychiatry. 1994 Sep;55 Suppl B:114-6.

    PubMed 7961553
  • Buckley PF. Novel antipsychotic medications and the treatment of comorbid substance abuse in schizophrenia. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1998 Mar-Apr;15(2):113-6. doi: 10.1016/s0740-5472(97)00134-7.

    PubMed 9561949
  • Buckley PF. Substance abuse in schizophrenia: a review. J Clin Psychiatry. 1998;59 Suppl 3:26-30.

    PubMed 9541335
  • Buckley PF, Miller A, Chiles JA, Sajatovic M. Implementing effectiveness research and improving care for schizophrenia in real-world settings. Am J Manag Care. 1999 Jun 25;5 Spec No:SP47-56.

    PubMed 10538860
  • Buckley P, McCarthy M, Chapman P, Richman C, Yamamoto B. Clozapine treatment of comorbid substance abuse in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 1999; 36: 272.

  • Carey KB, Cocco KM, Simons JS. Concurrent validity of clinicians' ratings of substance abuse among psychiatric outpatients. Psychiatr Serv. 1996 Aug;47(8):842-7. doi: 10.1176/ps.47.8.842.

    PubMed 8837156
  • Conley RR, Kelly DL, Gale EA. Olanzapine response in treatment-refractory schizophrenic patients with a history of substance abuse. Schizophr Res. 1998 Sep 7;33(1-2):95-101. doi: 10.1016/s0920-9964(98)00062-0.

    PubMed 9783349
  • Drake RE, Osher FC, Noordsy DL, Hurlbut SC, Teague GB, Beaudett MS. Diagnosis of alcohol use disorders in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 1990;16(1):57-67. doi: 10.1093/schbul/16.1.57.

    PubMed 2333482
  • Drake RE, Xie H, McHugo GJ, Green AI. The effects of clozapine on alcohol and drug use disorders among patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2000;26(2):441-9. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a033464.

    PubMed 10885642
  • Green AI, Alam MY, Sobieraj JT, Pappalardo KM, Waternaux C, Salzman C, Schatzberg AF, Schildkraut JJ. Clozapine response and plasma catecholamines and their metabolites. Psychiatry Res. 1993 Feb;46(2):139-49. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(93)90016-a.

    PubMed 8483973

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Quetiapine in people with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder, run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at 4 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Mar 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 4 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 21 Dec 2010). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Mean Number of Drinking Days Per Week (time frame: 12 Weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00156715, which also lists 26 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Mar 2018.

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