Conditions: Trichotillomania Hair Pulling
Keywords: Trichotillomania Hair pulling glutamate N-Acetylcysteine Children
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 39
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Trichotillomania (hair pulling) has an estimated lifetime prevalence of 1-3%. Children with trichotillomania can experience significant impairment due to peer teasing, avoidance of activities (such as swimming and socializing), difficulty concentrating on school work and medical complications due to pulling behaviors. Despite the fact that trichotillomania has a childhood onset, no randomized, controlled trials have been completed in childhood trichotillomania.

Research in adults with trichotillomania has demonstrated that most commonly currently prescribed treatment for trichotillomania, (pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) is ineffective in treating this condition. By contrast, randomized controlled trials in adults have suggested the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine as well as behavioral treatments such as Habit Reversal Therapy.

The goal of this trial is to determine the efficacy of N-Acetylcysteine for pediatric trichotillomania. N-Acetylcysteine is a glutamate modulating agent, with a fairly benign side-effect profile.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Patients randomized to this arm will receive N-Acetylcysteine, at a standard dose titrated to 2400 mg. They will receive NAC in addition to the medication regimen they are on at enrollment. arm 2: Patients randomized to this arm will receive placebo, formulated to be indistinguishable from N-Acetylcysteine, in addition to the medication regimen they are on at study enrollment.

Interventions: intervention 1: N-Acetylcysteine intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 2400 mg by mouth PO (1200 mg AM, 1200 mg PM), 12 weeks intervention 2: placebo, 2 capsules by mouth in AM, 2 capsules by mouth PM, 12 weeks

Protocol document: