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Seasonal Affective DisorderPhase 4SAM-SADNCT00502320

Ramelteon in the Treatment of Sleep and Mood in Patients With Seasonal Affective Disorder

A Phase 4 study testing Ramelteon in people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, run by Lehigh Valley Hospital at 1 site 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 determine whether treating sleep difficulties in patients with seasonal affective disorder also improves their depressive symptoms. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Seasonal Affective Disorder
What is being tested?
Ramelteon
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2006to Jul 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

  • Male or female age 18-65 yrs.
  • A diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder
  • A Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5
  • English speaking
  • Be able to sign informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Active substance abuse
  • Current psychotic symptoms
  • Severe personality disorders
  • Primary sleep disorders
  • Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Prescription fluvoxamine(Luvox) use

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Lehigh Valley Hospital, Department of Psychiatry

    Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18103

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Ramelteon in the Treatment of Sleep and Mood in Patients With Seasonal Affective Disorder

The purpose of this study is to determine whether treating sleep difficulties in patients with seasonal affective disorder also improves their depressive symptoms.

Read the detailed description

Seasonal affective disorder(SAD) is a type of depression in which a patient's depressive symptoms worsen in the winter. These patients' depressive symptoms often lessen in the spring and summer months. Much of the focus of the treatment of SAD (light therapy and melatonin) has involved the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN), as it is hypothesized that one potential reason for SAD is a desynchronized SCN. Ramelteon offers a new and more pharmacologically exact mechanism to re-synchronize the SCN. The administration of ramelteon for this patient population may improve sleep, and in addition, do so in a manner that may also reduce their seasonal affective depressive symptoms. Patients eligible for enrollment will be administered either ramelteon or placebo and return to the study office for 4 monthly visits over the winter months, to evaluate the effects of ramelteon versus placebo on sleep and mood.

Being tested
Ramelteon, Placebo
Keywords
Seasonal Affective Disorder, Ramelteon, Psychiatry, Randomized Controlled Trial, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale- SAD Version, Circadian Rhythm
Medical subject headings
Seasonal Affective Disorder

What participants receive

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

  • RamelteonDrug

    Also called Rozerem

    one 8 mg tablet at bed for up to 4 months

  • PlaceboDrug

    one tablet at bedtime for up to 4 months

Study groups in NCT00502320
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
RamelteonExperimental8 mg
Receives: Drug: Ramelteon
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorNot described
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. Sleep Satisfaction at Baseline and Measured Monthly, as Measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Self-rated scale to measure quality of sleep via questions regarding sleep latency, duration, efficiency, disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Score ranges from 0-21, higher scores represent more significant sleep disturbance.

    Measured: Monthly for duration of treatment (up to 4 months)

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Depressive Symptoms at Baseline and Measured Monthly, as Measured by the Zung Depression Scale (ZDS)

    Self-rated scale to measure severity of depressive symptoms. Score ranges from 25-100, higher scores reflect more depression.

    Measured: Monthly for duration of treatment (up to 4 months)

  2. Depressive Symptoms at Baseline and Measured Monthly, as Measured by the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SIGH-SAD)

    Clinician-rated measure of mood; evaluates classical 21 Hamilton Depression items, and 8-item subscale measuring atypical depression symptoms which commonly occur during SAD episodes. Score ranges from 0-89, higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

    Measured: Monthly for duration of treatment (up to 4 months)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted17 Jul 2007 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2006
  3. Primary completionApr 2008
  4. Study completionJul 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
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
50 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00502320
Sponsor's protocol ID
06-006R
Acronym
SAM-SAD
Status last verified
Oct 2009
First submitted
13 Jul 2007
Last updated
6 Oct 2009
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Avery DH, Eder DN, Bolte MA, Hellekson CJ, Dunner DL, Vitiello MV, Prinz PN. Dawn simulation and bright light in the treatment of SAD: a controlled study. Biol Psychiatry. 2001 Aug 1;50(3):205-16. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(01)01200-8.

    PubMed 11513820
  • Biggs JT, Wylie LT, Ziegler VE. Validity of the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry. 1978 Apr;132:381-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.132.4.381.

    PubMed 638392
  • Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989 May;28(2):193-213. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4.

    PubMed 2748771
  • Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Hoch CC, Yeager AL, Kupfer DJ. Quantification of subjective sleep quality in healthy elderly men and women using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep. 1991 Aug;14(4):331-8.

    PubMed 1947597
  • Desan PH, Weinstein AJ, Michalak EE, Tam EM, Meesters Y, Ruiter MJ, Horn E, Telner J, Iskandar H, Boivin DB, Lam RW. A controlled trial of the Litebook light-emitting diode (LED) light therapy device for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). BMC Psychiatry. 2007 Aug 7;7:38. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-7-38.

    PubMed 17683643
  • Dubocovich ML, Rivera-Bermudez MA, Gerdin MJ, Masana MI. Molecular pharmacology, regulation and function of mammalian melatonin receptors. Front Biosci. 2003 Sep 1;8:d1093-108. doi: 10.2741/1089.

    PubMed 12957828
  • Gentili A, Weiner DK, Kuchibhatla M, Edinger JD. Test-retest reliability of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index in nursing home residents. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995 Nov;43(11):1317-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1995.tb07415.x. No abstract available.

    PubMed 7594173
  • Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Ekstrom RD, Hamer RM, Jacobsen FM, Suppes T, Wisner KL, Nemeroff CB. The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Apr;162(4):656-62. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.656.

    PubMed 15800134
  • Hellpach, W.H. (1911). Die geopsychischen erschelnungen; Wetter und klima und landschaft in ihrem einfluss auf das seelenleben. Leipzig: W. Engelmann.

  • Jenner FA. Chronobiology and the clinical psychiatrist: the current position. Chronobiologia. 1974 Apr-Jun;1(2):151-60. No abstract available.

    PubMed 4617659
  • Lam RW, Gorman CP, Michalon M, Steiner M, Levitt AJ, Corral MR, Watson GD, Morehouse RL, Tam W, Joffe RT. Multicenter, placebo-controlled study of fluoxetine in seasonal affective disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1995 Dec;152(12):1765-70. doi: 10.1176/ajp.152.12.1765.

    PubMed 8526243
  • Levitt AJ, Lam RW, Levitan R. A comparison of open treatment of seasonal major and minor depression with light therapy. J Affect Disord. 2002 Sep;71(1-3):243-8. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0327(01)00397-4.

    PubMed 12167524
  • Lewy AJ, Sack RL. The phase-shift hypothesis of seasonal affective disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1988 Aug;145(8):1041-3. doi: 10.1176/ajp.145.8.1041c. No abstract available.

    PubMed 3394867
  • Lewy AJ, Lefler BJ, Emens JS, Bauer VK. The circadian basis of winter depression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 9;103(19):7414-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0602425103. Epub 2006 Apr 28.

    PubMed 16648247
  • Liu C, Weaver DR, Jin X, Shearman LP, Pieschl RL, Gribkoff VK, Reppert SM. Molecular dissection of two distinct actions of melatonin on the suprachiasmatic circadian clock. Neuron. 1997 Jul;19(1):91-102. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80350-5.

    PubMed 9247266

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Ramelteon in people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, run by Lehigh Valley Hospital at 1 site 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 5 inclusion and 6 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 6 Oct 2009. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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 5 Oct 2009). 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?

Sleep Satisfaction at Baseline and Measured Monthly, as Measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (time frame: Monthly for duration of treatment (up to 4 months)). 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 NCT00502320, which also lists 34 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 6 Oct 2009.

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