Clinical trial NCT00254488: Treatment of Bipolar Mania in Older Adults
Official title: Acute Pharmacotherapy of Late-Life Mania (GERI-BD)
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Bipolar Disorder
Mania
Lead sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
First posted: 2005-11-16
Enrollment: 224
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study will compare the benefits and side effects of lithium and divalproex in the treatment of older adults with bipolar mania.

Detailed description: This is the first controlled acute treatment study of bipolar disorder in adults 60 years or older with current DSM-IV manic, mixed, or hypomanic episodes. The number of older adults with severe and disabling bipolar disorder is increasing, and information to guide the management of the treatment of the disease is lacking in this population. Guidelines for treatment of younger people with bipolar disorder cannot be used for older people, and there are no safety and efficacy data upon which to base initial treatment decisions for older patients with bipolar mania. Mood stabilizers (lithium and divalproex) are the first-line treatment for bipolar disorder. However, in aged patients physiological changes and comorbid diseases may increase vulnerability to side effects and limit the benefits of the medications.

This double-blind study will compare the benefits and side-effects of 9 weeks of treatment with lithium and divalproex in people with bipolar mania. Participants, who may be treated during inpatient hospitalization or as outpatients, will be randomly assigned to receive either lithium or divalproex. During the first 3 weeks of treatment careful titration of lithium and divalproex will be done to reach dose ranges. All other psychotropic medications will be discontinued. Behavioral interventions and/or lorazepam may be added, if necessary. After the first 3 weeks, if symptoms do not improve, risperidone will be added to be taken everyday with the study medication.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of DSM-IV Bipolar Disorder, Type I: current manic, mixed, or hypomanic episodes

Exclusion Criteria:

* Rapid cycling bipolar disorder
* History of substance abuse or dependence within last 3 months
* Diagnosis of schizophrenia or other chronic psychotic conditions
* Acute or unstable medical illness
* Documented intolerance to Lithium, Depakote, Risperidone, or Lorazepam
* Dementia
* Inability to communicate in English

Primary outcomes:
measure: Sedation Score
timeFrame: Day 4, Day 9, Day 15, and then Weekly from Week 3 to Week 9
measure: Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Scores
timeFrame: Day 4, Day 9, Day 15, and then Weekly from Week 3 to Week 9
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Flowood
country: United States
facility: Precise Research Centers
state: Mississippi
city: White Plains
country: United States
facility: Weill Cornell Medical College
state: New York
city: Durham
country: United States
facility: Duke University Medical Center
state: North Carolina
city: Cleveland
country: United States
facility: University Hospitals Case Medical Center
state: Ohio
city: Philadelphia
country: United States
facility: University of Pennsylvania
state: Pennsylvania
city: Pittsburgh
country: United States
facility: University of Pittsburgh
state: Pennsylvania
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: Baylor College of Medicine
state: Texas
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: Cornell University
name: Robert Young, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Al Jurdi RK, Schulberg HC, Greenberg RL, Kunik ME, Gildengers A, Sajatovic M, Mulsant BH, Young RC; GERI-BD Study Group. Characteristics associated with inpatient versus outpatient status in older adults with bipolar disorder. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2012 Mar;25(1):62-8. doi: 10.1177/0891988712436684.
citation: Beyer JL, Greenberg RL, Marino P, Bruce ML, Al Jurdi RK, Sajatovic M, Gyulai L, Mulsant BH, Gildengers A, Young RC. Social support in late life mania: GERI-BD. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Oct;29(10):1028-32. doi: 10.1002/gps.4093. Epub 2014 Mar 24.
citation: Sajatovic M, Al Jurdi R, Gildengers A, Greenberg RL, Tenhave T, Bruce ML, Mulsant B, Young RC. Depression symptom ratings in geriatric patients with bipolar mania. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 Nov;26(11):1201-8. doi: 10.1002/gps.2664. Epub 2011 Mar 1.
citation: Gildengers AG, Mulsant BH, Al Jurdi RK, Beyer JL, Greenberg RL, Gyulai L, Moberg PJ, Sajatovic M, ten Have T, Young RC; GERI-BD Study Group. The relationship of bipolar disorder lifetime duration and vascular burden to cognition in older adults. Bipolar Disord. 2010 Dec;12(8):851-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2010.00877.x.
citation: Young RC, Schulberg HC, Gildengers AG, Sajatovic M, Mulsant BH, Gyulai L, Beyer J, Marangell L, Kunik M, Ten Have T, Bruce ML, Gur R, Marino P, Evans JD, Reynolds CF 3rd, Alexopoulos GS. Conceptual and methodological issues in designing a randomized, controlled treatment trial for geriatric bipolar disorder: GERI-BD. Bipolar Disord. 2010 Feb;12(1):56-67. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00779.x.
citation: Young RC, Mulsant BH, Sajatovic M, Gildengers AG, Gyulai L, Al Jurdi RK, Beyer J, Evans J, Banerjee S, Greenberg R, Marino P, Kunik ME, Chen P, Barrett M, Schulberg HC, Bruce ML, Reynolds CF 3rd, Alexopoulos GS; GERI-BD Study Group. GERI-BD: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial of Lithium and Divalproex in the Treatment of Mania in Older Patients With Bipolar Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2017 Nov 1;174(11):1086-1093. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.15050657. Epub 2017 Aug 4.