NCT00753506

Artemisinin to Reduce The Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Double-Blind Trial of Artemisinin to Reduce The Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 66 (actual)
• Sponsor: Sheppard Pratt Health System · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The investigators intend to explore the hypothesis that symptoms of schizophrenia may be reduced by the antimalarial compound artemisinin when used in addition to standard antipsychotic medications.

Detailed description

The aims of the current study are: 1. To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of artemisinin as an add-on compound for patients with schizophrenia who have residual psychotic symptoms of at least moderate severity. 2. To evaluate the effect of artemisinin on cognitive impairments and associated functional skills. 3. To investigate whether treatment with artemisinin produces a significant effect on the levels of antibodies to Toxoplasma. 4. To examine whether changes in cognitive impairment or psychiatric symptoms are correlated with changes in antibodies to Toxoplasma before and during the treatment with artemisinin.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Artemisinin	100 mg of artemisinin twice per day for 10 weeks
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Identical looking placebo capsule	Identical looking placebo twice per day for 10 weeks

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-08-01
• Primary completion: 2010-05-01
• Completion: 2010-05-01
• First posted: 2008-09-16
• Last updated: 2012-02-28
• Results posted: 2012-02-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States