Conditions: Alzheimer Disease Dementia Dementia, Vascular Pain
Keywords: Agitation Alzheimer Disease Analgesics Dementia Narcotics Opioid Pain Palliative Care Psychomotor Suffering, Physical
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Enrollment: 11
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a low dose an opiate pain medication is effective for the treatment of discomfort in patients with advanced dementia. The study medication was also known as Lortab and contained both a narcotic pain medication and acetaminophen (the same pain medication as contained in Tylenol). This study was an eight-week long clinical trial for discomfort among veterans with advanced dementia who were admitted to a Nursing Home Care Unit (NHCU) at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

Detailed description:
OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of the Low-Dose Opiate Therapy for Discomfort in Dementia (L-DOT) project was to determine whether low-dose opiates are effective and well tolerated for the treatment of pain (as manifest by discomfort) in patients with advanced dementia.

RESEARCH DESIGN: This study was a two-week double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of low-dose hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Lortab) for discomfort among veterans with a dementia, followed by six weeks of open-label therapy for patients who tolerated treatment during the first two weeks (eight weeks total treatment on study).

METHODOLOGY: After consent, patients over age 55 with dementia residing in a nursing home care unit (or at home who receive care) at Tuscaloosa VAMC who demonstrate significant discomfort (as measured by the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia - PAINAD) were randomized to one of two groups, using a double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5mg/250mg q8hrs scheduled with placebo q8hrs PRN or placebo q8hrs scheduled with hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5mg/250mg q8hrs PRN. After one week's treatment, patients were crossed over to the other (opposite) regimen, for a total of two weeks of blinded treatment. Patients who tolerated treatment with hydrocodone/acetaminophen were eligible for a six-week, open-label continuation phase. The primary outcome measure was pain/discomfort. Preliminary sample size calculations indicated that 42 patients (48 patients accounting for dropouts) would be needed to be enrolled over three years to detect a difference between treatments with power of .80 and two-tailed alpha of .05.

SIGNIFICANCE: There is evidence that pain is both under recognized and undertreated in long term care settings. This study hoped to make a significant contribution to the evidence base for a common and problematic situation among veterans with advanced dementia. Advances in pain and symptom control are central to the improvement of palliative care intervention for dementia patients. Low-dose opiates are the logical next category of analgesics to consider, but have been rarely studied for this purpose in this population.

Arms:
arm 1: This is a fully crossed study, each participant serves as his own control. Phase A (closed label) has two arms: A1 is the experimental and A2 is the placebo comparator. Participants are randomized to either A1 for 1 week then A2 for 1 week OR A2 for 1 week then A1 for one week. A1: hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid TID, with liquid placebo available PRN. A2: liquid placebo TID with hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid PRN. arm 2: This is a fully crossed study, each participant serves as his own control. Phase A: Participants are randomized to either A1 for 1 week then A2 for 1 week OR A2 for 1 week then A1 for one week. A1: hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid TID, with liquid placebo available PRN. A2: liquid placebo TID with hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid PRN. arm 3: Phase B: If tolerated study medication during Phase A (i.e., the closed label, double-blind phase of the trial) then enter a six-week, open-label phase. Participants judged as responders during Phase A continue the same dose of study medication. Otherwise, moved to a higher dose (hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/500mg TID or the most appropriate formulary alternative). Participant can also receive up to 2 PRN administrations at the same dose levels as listed above, but not to exceed 2.5g of acetaminophen.

Interventions: intervention 1: hydrocodone/APAP w placebo PRN intervention 2: hydrocodone/APAP intervention 3: placebo with hydrocodone/APAP PRN
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid three times daily (TID). With liquid placebo available PRN. intervention 2: Participants judged as responders during Phase A continue the same dose of study medication (hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid TID). Otherwise, moved to a higher dose (hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/500mg TID or the most appropriate formulary alternative). Participant can also receive up to 2 PRN administrations at the same dose levels as listed above, but not to exceed 2.5g of acetaminophen. intervention 3: Liquid placebo PRN. Also available PRN is Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 2.5/167 mg per 5 ml liquid.

Protocol document: