Combination Therapy in Dual Diagnosis Bipolar Rapid Cycling: This study recruits males and females age 18 and older who currently meet diagnostic criteria for rapid cycling bipolar disorder (type I or II) and who have met the criteria for substance abuse or dependence of cocaine, marijuana and/or alcohol within the past six months. Patients begin treatment with a combination of lithium and divalproex. Once these medications are tolerated, they are randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with lamotrigine or placebo. Patients remain in this study until they experience a marked bimodal response for four consecutive weeks. This study is sponsored by the Stanley Foundation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
98
Once a therapeutic blood level of lithium was achieved, Divalproex was initiated at 250 mg twice daily and increased slowly over 5 weeks to a minimum blood level of 50 μg/mL.
Lithium monotherapy was initiated at 450 mg once daily and titrated slowly over 3 weeks to a minimum blood level of 0.5 mEqlL.
Subjects who did not respond to the combination of Lithium and Divalproex were then randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to adjunctive lamotrigine versus placebo after stratification by illness type (bipolar I versus bipolar II), historical response to lithium (response versus oon-response), and the length of current exposure to the combination treatment with lithium and divalproex (\<2 months versus ≥2 months).
University Hospitals of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Proportion of patients who experience a marked and persistent bimodal response
Time frame: Phase 1: Baseline - Week 16
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