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Alcohol DrinkingPhase 1/2IMPACTNCT01641445

Effects of Topiramate on Adolescent Alcohol Use: Efficacy and Mechanisms

A Phase 1/2 study testing Topiramate in people with Alcohol Drinking, run by Brown University 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

This study will help to determine whether the medication, topiramate, reduces alcohol use among adolescents with alcohol dependence. It will also help answer the question, "How does topiramate reduce drinking in teenagers?" Understanding how topiramate may reduce drinking in adolescents would allow for a more targeted… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 14 to 24 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Alcohol Drinking
What is being tested?
Topiramate
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
82 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jul 2012to 12 Apr 2017
Phase
Phase 1/2
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 14 to 24 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • 14-24 years old (inclusive)
  • Non-treatment seeking for alcohol abuse or dependence
  • Interest in reducing alcohol use
  • Self-reported alcohol use at least 2 days/week during prior 28 days
  • Able to read simple English

Who cannot join

  • Alcohol or substance abuse treatment in the past 30 days
  • Clinically significant medical abnormalities
  • History of renal impairment, renal stones, or unstable hypertension
  • History of progressive neurodegenerative disorders or clinical significant neurological disorders
  • Body mass index lower than 18
  • Pregnant, nursing, or refusal to use reliable birth control, if female
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Non-stabilized psychotropic medication and/or taking medication that is contraindicated for use with topiramate
  • Medications that may effect alcohol use or a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor
  • Suicidal or psychotic
  • Current coexisting substance use disorders other than alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, or nicotine use disorders
  • Clinically significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms
  • Impaired cognitive functioning
  • Living with an active study participant
  • Compelled to treatment by the juvenile justice system

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies

    Providence, Rhode Island, 02912

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study will help to determine whether the medication, topiramate, reduces alcohol use among adolescents with alcohol dependence. It will also help answer the question, "How does topiramate reduce drinking in teenagers?" Understanding how topiramate may reduce drinking in adolescents would allow for a more targeted pharmacotherapeutic approach to treatment and help to identify additional medications that may hold promise for improving treatment outcomes for youth.

Read the detailed description

Adolescent alcohol use is associated with myriad adverse legal, health, and educational consequences and contributes to the leading causes of mortality among youth. Yet despite the magnitude of this public health problem, treatment initiatives for youth remain inadequate. Given these data, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism identified the critical need for medications development research for youth with the goal of identifying promising agents for which large-scale clinical trials are justified. The long-term goal of this research program is to improve pharmacotherapy for alcoholism. The major objective of this project is to address the urgent need for empirical data on medications that may benefit youth. For the past 10 years our research program has successfully paired human laboratory paradigms with ecological momentary assessment (EMA), whereby research participants use handheld electronic diaries to monitor their drinking, craving, and sensitivity to alcohol in real time in their natural environment. Using this approach, we identified mechanisms by which medications act and patient characteristics that moderate these effects. The proposed study will test if and how topiramate (TPM), an anticonvulsant shown to be efficacious for treating adults, reduces drinking in youth. To this end, we will randomize adolescent problem drinkers to TPM or placebo for 8 weeks, in combination with biweekly motivational enhancement therapy sessions, using a two-group, double-blind design. While at the target dose (200 mg/day) youth will complete EMA in their natural environment. In addition, youth will complete alcohol cue reactivity assessments in the laboratory to test the effects of TPM on cue-elicited craving and physiological reactivity in a controlled environment. Youth will complete 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments to determine whether any benefits are sustained. This study will provide much needed data on the tolerability and efficacy of TPM with adolescents, while adding important new information about the biobehavioral mechanisms of TPM action in youth.

Being tested
Topiramate, Placebo
Medical subject headings
Alcohol Drinking

What participants receive

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

  • TopiramateDrug

    Also called Topamax

    Topiramate (200 mg daily)

  • PlaceboDrug

    Also called "Sugar Pill"

    Matching placebo capusules ("sugar pills"

Study groups in NCT01641445
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TopiramateActive comparatorTopiramate (200 mg) taken orally daily
Receives: Drug: Topiramate
Sugar pillPlacebo comparatorPlacebo ("sugar pill") taken orally daily
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. Alcohol Use

    Percent drinking days at the target medication dose

    Measured: Study Weeks 5-8

  2. Heavy Drinking Days

    Percent heavy drinking days at the target medication dose. Heavy drinking is defined as 4 or more standard alcoholic drinks per day for females and 5 or more standard drinks per day for males.

    Measured: Study Weeks 5-8

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Alcohol Use

    Percent drinking days at the 6-month follow-up assessment

    Measured: 6-month follow-up assessment

  2. Alcohol Use

    Percent drinking days at the 12-month follow-up assessment

    Measured: 12-month follow-up assessment

Timeline

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

  1. First posted16 Jul 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2012
  3. Primary completionMay 2016
  4. Study completion12 Apr 2017

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 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator
Enrolment
82 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01641445
Sponsor's protocol ID
R01AA007850-21
Acronym
IMPACT
Status last verified
Sep 2020
First submitted
11 Jul 2012
Last updated
20 Oct 2020
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Topiramate in people with Alcohol Drinking, run by Brown University 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 14 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 20 Oct 2020. 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 combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 17 Sep 2020). 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?

Alcohol Use (time frame: Study Weeks 5-8). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 20 Oct 2020.

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