Conditions: Alzheimer's Disease
Keywords: double-blind treatment prazosin Disruptive behaviors in Alzheimer's Disease
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 20
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
A study of outpatient participants with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia who have difficult behaviors that are upsetting for them or their caregivers. Prazosin is a medication that is commonly used to treat people with high blood pressure. Research with prazosin has shown that it may be effective in treating behavioral problems by reducing excess adrenalin effects in the brain.

Detailed description:
This is a 24 week study with 14 visits to the research clinic. Approximately 6 of these visits may be done by phone. Additional phone checks are scheduled at the beginning of each 12 week part of the study. Participants will have a 50:50 chance of being on prazosin or placebo in the first 12 weeks of the study. For the second 12 weeks, all participants will take prazosin.

Study visits include a physical and neurological exam; memory testing; interviews with the caregiver about behaviors; and vital signs.

Arms:
arm 1: In the double blind phase (12 weeks), study participants will take either prazosin for placebo. For the open label phase (12 weeks), all study participants will take prazosin. arm 2: In the double blind phase (12 weeks), study participants will take either prazosin for placebo. For the open label phase (12 weeks), all study participants will take prazosin.

Interventions: intervention 1: Prazosin intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 4 mg capsules twice daily for 12 weeks intervention 2: Placebo capsules twice daily for 12 weeks

Protocol document: