NCT00161473

Alzheimer's in Long-Term Care--Treatment for Agitation

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 24 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Washington · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to see if a medication called prazosin is useful in the treatment of agitation and aggression in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia in late life.

Detailed description

Although the occurrence of disruptive agitation behaviors likely are influenced by environmental/ interpersonal factors, it is also likely that behaviorally relevant neurobiologic abnormalities lower the threshold for the expression of such behavior in Alzheimer's disease. Because of the success prazosin has had in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, it is thought that it could be used similarly with disruptive agitation. Originally designed to evaluate Alzheimer's disease patients in nursing homes, the study now includes outpatients. It is a 9-week placebo-controlled trial.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease
• Psychomotor Agitation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	prazosin	Participants taking prazosin. Prazosin was administered as 1 or 2 mg capsules. Doses were initiated at 1 mg at bedtime. Titration based on tolerability was conducted up to a dose of 2 mg in the morning plus 4mg at bedtime. Duration was 8 weeks.
DRUG	placebo (inert substance)	Placebo is an inert substance used as a standard comparator in clinical pharmacologic trials. Duration is 8 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2001-01-01
• Primary completion: 2009-09-01
• Completion: 2009-09-01
• First posted: 2005-09-12
• Last updated: 2012-08-02
• Results posted: 2012-08-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States