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InsomniaSWITCHNCT03511209

Discontinuation of Hypnotics in Older Veterans

A study testing CBTI plus taper method A and CBTI plus taper method B in people with Insomnia, run by VA Office of Research and Development 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

Sleeping medications, called hypnotics, are often prescribed for insomnia. About one-quarter of Veterans use hypnotics (or bedtime alcohol). Older patients who use hypnotics fall more often and have worse memory than those who do not use them. Stopping hypnotics often reverses these problems. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 55 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Insomnia
What is being tested?
CBTI plus taper method A and CBTI plus taper method B
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
132 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
10 Dec 2018to 27 Nov 2023
Phase
Interventional
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 55 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age >= 55 years
  • Use of lorazepam, alprazolam, temazepam, clonazepam, and/or zolpidem for current or prior insomnia symptoms 2 or more nights per week for at least 3 months
  • Current or prior insomnia symptoms
  • Available to attend weekly in-person or video sessions over 9 weeks

Who cannot join

  • High risk for complications in outpatient hypnotic discontinuation program:
  • Seizure disorder
  • Supratherapeutic/high baseline hypnotic dose (> diazepam-equivalent of 8 mg/night). Note that for individuals on > 1 of the targeted hypnotics, total baseline dose in diazepam-equivalents will be calculated \& if > 8 mg/night, individual will be excluded.
  • High risk of complicated withdrawal; benzodiazepine intoxication or current or past symptoms of complicated benzodiazepine/alcohol withdrawal (e.g., seizure, delirium at baseline)
  • Polydrug use (e.g., chronic high dose opioids)
  • Unable to keep study medications in secure location
Show all 18Show fewer
  • Evidence of prescription fraud (e.g., multiple prescriptions for same drug filled at VA and non-VA pharmacies, diversion)
  • Discontinuation of hypnotic not appropriate:
  • Study-targeted hypnotic used to treat another clinical condition (e.g., Rapid Eye Movement sleep behavior disorder)
  • Not willing to begin hypnotic discontinuation program
  • Poor candidate for CBTI:
  • Presence of bipolar disorder
  • Cognitive impairment (e.g., Mini-Mental State Examination < 24)
  • Sleep/wake difficulty is better explained by another sleep disorder such as restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, insufficient sleep syndrome, or circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
  • Untreated sleep-disordered breathing defined as:
  • Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 30 AHI between 15 and 30 and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale > 10)
  • Medically/psychiatrically unstable (e.g., recent major hospitalization or planned major surgery during the study; psychosis, suicidal, active alcohol/substance abuse based on history and medical records)
  • Unstable housing situation

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA

    West Los Angeles, California, 90073-1003

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Efficacy of Masked Tapering on Discontinuation of Hypnotics in Older Veterans

Sleeping medications, called hypnotics, are often prescribed for insomnia. About one-quarter of Veterans use hypnotics (or bedtime alcohol). Older patients who use hypnotics fall more often and have worse memory than those who do not use them. Stopping hypnotics often reverses these problems. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is trying to reduce hypnotic use among older adults. Currently, there are two main treatments to help patients stop using hypnotics. The first treatment involves a slow decrease in the daily dose until the hypnotic is ultimately discontinued. For safety, the process of decreasing the daily dose is usually supervised by a physician. The second is a treatment for insomnia called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI).

This study will compare a novel hypnotic tapering method to the usual tapering method offered to older Veterans. The purpose of the study is to determine if the novel tapering method is more effective than the usual tapering method, both in terms of hypnotic discontinuation and improvement in insomnia severity.

Read more

Participants will be recruited from among Veterans 55 years and older who receive care from one VA Healthcare System. Following a baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two 8-week treatment groups (66 participants per group). Each treatment group will receive CBTI, however, one group will receive the novel tapering program and the other group the usual tapering program. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at post-treatment and at 6-months after completion of the treatment.

If the novel tapering program is effective, it will represent a treatment option that can be offered to older Veterans who want to discontinue hypnotics. This tapering program could help VA healthcare providers adhere to clinical guidelines that recommend benzodiazepine discontinuation among older adults. A reduction in chronic hypnotic use may in turn reduce the risk of falls and hip fractures, which ultimately may improve the health and quality of life of older Veterans who receive healthcare at the VA.

Read the detailed description

Hypnotics such as benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine receptor agonists are often prescribed for insomnia. Among Veterans attending outpatient clinics, approximately one-quarter use hypnotics (or bedtime alcohol). Hypnotics use is associated with an increased risk of falls and worse cognition in older adults. Discontinuing hypnotics often attenuates or reverses these negative effects, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has initiatives to reduce hypnotic use among older adults. Current discontinuation strategies focus on tapering off the hypnotic and/or treating insomnia symptoms. Common strategies include supervised gradual taper (SGT), cognitive behavioral therapy targeting hypnotic withdrawal (CBT-HW), cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI), and combination therapy (SGT+CBTI). Yet up to 40% of patients eventually resume use of hypnotics with these strategies, suggesting that other mechanisms need to be targeted to achieve and sustain high rates of non-use.

Objectives: 1) To assess the efficacy of a novel taper plus cognitive behavioral therapy-augmented program on hypnotic discontinuation among older Veterans, 2) to determine the impact of the the novel taper intervention on insomnia severity, 3) to assess the impact of the novel taper intervention on participants' beliefs and expectancies for using hypnotics to improve sleep quality and daytime function, and 4) to assess the efficacy of the novel taper intervention on balance and cognition.

To achieve these objectives, we propose to conduct a randomized clinical trial in older Veterans recruited from a single VA site. Veterans will undergo a 3-step screening process (letter with opt-out card, telephone screen, and in-person screen). Eligible participants (N = 132) will be randomized to 8 weeks of the novel taper intervention (CBTI+taper method A) or CBTI+taper method B. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at post-treatment and 6-months. Key 6-month outcomes will include hypnotic discontinuation and use (measured objectively through lab testing and medical record review/state prescription monitoring database query, and subjectively through sleep diary), insomnia severity, beliefs and expectations about hypnotics, balance, and cognition.

This hypnotic discontinuation program could be an important tool to help older Veterans who want to discontinue hypnotics to achieve this goal.

Conditions
Insomnia
Being tested
CBTI plus taper method A, CBTI plus taper method B
Keywords
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Hypnotics and Sedatives
Medical subject headings
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

What participants receive

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

  • CBTI plus taper method ABehavioural

    This intervention includes CBTI plus the novel hypnotic tapering method.

  • CBTI plus taper method BBehavioural

    This intervention includes CBTI plus the usual hypnotic tapering method used by the VA.

Study groups in NCT03511209
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
CBTI plus Taper method AExperimentalParticipants in this arm will receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) plus the novel hypnotic tapering method.
Receives: Behavioral: CBTI plus taper method A
CBTI plus Taper method BActive comparatorParticipants in this arm will receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) plus the usual tapering method used by the VA.
Receives: Behavioral: CBTI plus taper method B

What is being measured

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

  1. Rates of Hypnotic Discontinuation

    The percentage of participants who had stopped taking a benzodiazepine or z-drug at follow-up. This outcome was measured with 7-day self-reported medication logs.

    Measured: 6 months after treatment ends (which is an average of 8 months from randomization)

  2. Insomnia Severity Index Score

    Mean score on Insomnia Severity Index. This 7-item scale measures self-reported severity of insomnia symptoms.

    Total score ranges from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating greater insomnia severity.

    Measured: 6 months after treatment ends (which is an average of 8 months from randomization)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Apr 2018
  2. Study start10 Dec 2018
  3. Primary completion27 Nov 2023
  4. Study completion27 Nov 2023

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
132 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03511209
Sponsor's protocol ID
IIR 17-234
Acronym
SWITCH
Status last verified
Nov 2024
First submitted
18 Apr 2018
Last updated
14 Nov 2024
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Fung CH, Martin JL, Alessi C, Dzierzewski JM, Cook IA, Moore A, Grinberg A, Zeidler M, Kierlin L. Hypnotic Discontinuation Using a Blinded (Masked) Tapering Approach: A Case Series. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Oct 24;10:717. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00717. eCollection 2019.

    PubMed 31708806
  • McCarthy M, Mak S, Kaufmann CN, Lum HD, Fung CH. Care coordination needs for deprescribing benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine receptor agonists. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2022 Apr;18(4):2691-2694. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.06.025. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

    PubMed 34229951
  • Gutierrez L, Ghadimi S, Krall A, Hampson E, Grinberg AM, Moore AA, Dzierzewski JM, Alessi C, Martin JL, Fung CH. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Risk and Benzodiazepine Dependence in Older Veterans with Insomnia Symptoms. Clin Gerontol. 2022 Mar-Apr;45(2):414-418. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1954123. Epub 2021 Aug 4.

    PubMed 34346855
  • Ghadimi S, Grinberg A, Mitchell MN, Alessi C, Moore AA, Martin JL, Dzierzewski JM, Kelly M, Badr MS, Guzman A, Smith JP, Zeidler M, Fung CH. Sleep characteristics and use of multiple benzodiazepine receptor agonists in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Dec;71(12):3924-3927. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18528. Epub 2023 Aug 1. No abstract available.

    PubMed 37526436
  • Fung CH, Alessi C, Martin JL, Josephson K, Kierlin L, Dzierzewski JM, Moore AA, Badr MS, Zeidler M, Kelly M, Smith JP, Cook IA, Der-Mcleod E, Ghadimi S, Naeem S, Partch L, Guzman A, Grinberg A, Mitchell M. Masked Taper With Behavioral Intervention for Discontinuation of Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2024 Dec 1;184(12):1448-1456. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.5020.

    PubMed 39374004

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing CBTI plus taper method A and CBTI plus taper method B in people with Insomnia, run by VA Office of Research and Development 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 4 inclusion and 18 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 Nov 2024. 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. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 14 Nov 2024). 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?

Rates of Hypnotic Discontinuation (time frame: 6 months after treatment ends (which is an average of 8 months from randomization)). 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?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03511209, which also lists 5 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 Nov 2024.

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