This study will investigate the use of adjunctive pregnenolone for the following: 1. fatigue that has limited usual activity, 2. musculoskeletal pain involving 2 or more regions of the body and, 3. cognitive symptoms (memory, concentration, or attentional difficulties by self-report) in Veterans deployed to the Gulf War theatre of operations between 1990 and 1991.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
170
Pregnenolone 50mg BID x 14 days, followed by Pregnenolone 150 x 14 days, followed by Pregnenolone 250 mg BID x 28 days
Placebo 50mg BID x 14 days, followed by Placebo 150 x 14 days, followed by Placebo 250 mg BID x 28 days
Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Physical Component of the SF-36
These data report changes in the mean scores in physical health symptoms at Week 8 Post-Randomization and Week 4 Post-Randomization, relative to Baseline. The SF-36 is a health survey with an 8-scale profile embedded in 36 questions that measures physical and mental components of health. Each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range, with the lowest and highest possible scores set at 0 and 100, respectively. All of these items are scored such that a high score defines a more favorable health state, and the Physical Component Score is an average of 4 of the 8 domains of the SF-36. Thus, positive changes in scores represent an improvement relative to baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4, and Baseline to week 8
Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
These data report changes in the mean scores in pain symptoms at Week 8 Post-Randomization and Week 4 Post-Randomization, relative to Baseline. The Brief Pain Inventory is a 14-item self-report measure designed to assess the severity, frequency and daily pattern of pain, as well as its perceived interference with quality of life. Severity is measured on a 0-10 scale with 10 being the greatest pain. Interference score is measured by a mean score of 7 items (0-10 scale) with 10 being the greatest interference. Thus, negative changes in scores represent an improvement relative to baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4, and Baseline to week 8
Tower of London Test of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Affective Disorders (BAC-A)
These data report changes in the mean scores in cognitive symptoms at Week 8 Post-Randomization and Week 4 Post-Randomization, relative to Baseline. The Tower of London test assesses executive functioning on a scale of 0-20. (Note, if a perfect score of 20 occurs then there is the opportunity of 2 additional points, increasing the score to 22.) The higher the number, the higher the degree of executive functioning. Thus, positive changes in scores represent an improvement relative to baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4, and Baseline to week 8
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Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI)
These data report changes in the mean scores in fatigue symptoms at Week 8 Post-Randomization and Week 4 Post-Randomization, relative to Baseline. The MFI is a 20-item self-report measure designed to assess the principal manifestations of fatigue. Items are rated on a 1-5 scale indicating how true each statement was for the respondent during the last week, with some questions scored in an inverse fashion in the final calculation of the score. The 20 items are then summed, with higher scores representing greater fatigue. Thus, negative changes in scores represent an improvement relative to baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4, and Baseline to week 8
Global Severity Index of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R)
These data report changes in the mean scores in psychiatric symptoms at Week 8 Post-Randomization and Week 4 Post-Randomization, relative to Baseline. The SCL-90R is used as a screening measure of general psychiatric symptomatology. It includes dimensions measuring somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. Global Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90R is designed to measure overall psychological distress. Higher scores reflect greater distress. This is a 90 item measure with each rated on a scale of 0-4, with 4 being the highest level of psychological distress for each item. Thus, negative changes in scores represent an improvement relative to baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4, and Baseline to week 8