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Complex Regional Pain SyndromesPhase 2NCT00689585

Safety and Efficacy Study of Ethosuximide for the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

A Phase 2 study testing Ethosuximide in people with Complex Regional Pain Syndromes, run by McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre at 1 site in Canada.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Pain remains the most debilitating symptom for adult patients suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Most CRPS patients gain little to no relief from current painkillers. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
What is being tested?
Ethosuximide
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
4 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Sep 2008to Jul 2010
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Male or female, age ≥18 years old;
  • Diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) using International Association for the Study of Pain criteria >6 months;
  • Normal liver function (AST level <3x normal level);
  • Normal kidney function (serum creatinine <133µmol/L);
  • Full blood count, haematocrit >38%;
  • Willing and able to give informed consent and of completing study questionnaires;
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  • Stable (no change in past two months) but suboptimal pain pharmacotherapy (i.e. additional pain control felt by patient and physician to be necessary);
  • Able to attend research centre according to the visit schedule;
  • Women of child-bearing potential must be using a reliable form of contraception i.e. oral contraceptives, a barrier method (condom or diaphragm), intra-uterine device or abstinence.

Who cannot join

  • Optimal response to opioids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants or anti- inflammatory medications;
  • Any history or indication of kidney or liver disease;
  • Any history of alcohol abuse;
  • Presence of diabetes;
  • Subjects taking other anti-epileptic drugs, including gabapentin, pregabalin, topiramate, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine;
  • Pregnancy (a serum bHCG pregnancy test will be performed as part of the initial blood panel);
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  • Known or suspected allergy to succinimides, ethosuximide, methsuximide (Celontin®), phensuximide;
  • Any history of mental illness or disorder, which in the investigators opinion, interferes with the subjects ability to accurately report treatment response;
  • Participation in other clinical trial in the 30 days prior to enrolment.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • McGill University Health Centre

    Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A4

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: A Single Centre. Parallel-Group, Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial on Ethosuximide for the Treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Pain remains the most debilitating symptom for adult patients suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Most CRPS patients gain little to no relief from current painkillers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ethosuximide in search of much-needed adjunctive therapy to relieve the pain and suffering associated with CRPS.

Read the detailed description

This is a single centre, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial for adults suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Twelve (12) subjects diagnosed with CRPS will be enrolled and randomized to receive orally, either ethosuximide or placebo. If the maximum trial medication dosage (1500mg) is reached, the subject will be in the study for a maximum of 10 weeks from screening (Clinic Visit 1) to the end of the drug cessation period. The minimum period a subject could complete the study would be 4 weeks presuming they were not previously on any disallowed drugs and only found the 500mg dose tolerable.

Being tested
Placebo, Ethosuximide
Keywords
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, RSD, Chronic Pain, Ethosuximide, Zarontin, Anticonvulsant
Medical subject headings
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Chronic Pain

What participants receive

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

  • PlaceboDrug

    250mg matching placebo capsules

  • EthosuximideDrug

    Also called Zarontin

    500-1500mg/day over a 1-5 week dose titration period until maximal tolerated dose (MTD) attained, followed by 1 week MTD plateau period.

Study groups in NCT00689585
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1Placebo comparatorNot described
Receives: Drug: Placebo
2ExperimentalNot described
Receives: Drug: Ethosuximide

What is being measured

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

  1. Maximum tolerated dose (500mg-1500mg per day) and Safety profile

    Primary outcomes will consist of the dose attained during the study and the safety (adverse event) profile. Maximum timeframe on study drug is 6 weeks. Adverse events will be collected up to one month after the trial period ends.

    Measured: up to 10 weeks

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Pain Intensity Scores on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

    Pain Intensity captured on Day 1 (First study visit post-disallowed drug cessation period) and 7 days after maximal-tolerated dose attained (Final Study Visit)

    Measured: up to 7 weeks

  2. Pain Intensity Scores on the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)

    Pain Intensity using the Numerical Rating Scale will be captured by telephone every week during dose titration period (Days 3 and 6).

    Measured: up to 5 weeks

  3. Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI)

    Day 1 (First study visit post-disallowed drug cessation period) and 7 days after maximal-tolerated dose attained (Final Study Visit)

    Measured: up to 7 weeks

  4. Short Form 12v2 (SF-12v2)

    Quality of Life measured on Day 1 (First study visit post-disallowed drug cessation period) and 7 days after maximal-tolerated dose attained (Final Study Visit)

    Measured: up to 7 weeks

  5. Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)

    Day 1 (First study visit post-disallowed drug cessation period) and 7 days after maximal-tolerated dose attained (Final Study Visit)

    Measured: up to 7 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted3 Jun 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2008
  3. Primary completionJul 2010
  4. Study completionJul 2010

Why it stopped: Recruitment difficult and enrolment low: decision was made to stop the study.

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 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
4 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00689585
Sponsor's protocol ID
GEN#07-062
Status last verified
May 2011
First submitted
29 May 2008
Last updated
13 May 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Ethosuximide in people with Complex Regional Pain Syndromes, run by McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre at 1 site in Canada.

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 9 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 May 2011. 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 Canada. 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 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

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

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Recruitment difficult and enrolment low: decision was made to stop the study.). Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Maximum tolerated dose (500mg-1500mg per day) and Safety profile (time frame: up to 10 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 13 May 2011.

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