Growth Hormone or Sildenafil as Therapies for Fatigue in Mild- Traumatic-brain-injury (MTBI)
Traumatic Brain Injury
About this trial
This is an interventional diagnostic trial for Traumatic Brain Injury focused on measuring mild traumatic brain injury, growth hormone, fatigue, sildenafil, neurology
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Male or female with a diagnosis of mild TBI and 6 month post-injury. Age 18 to 60 years. Complaint of fatigue, with score of 3 or greater on questions 1, 2, or 3 of the Brief Fatigue Inventory.
Exclusion Criteria:
Exclusion criteria (general)
- Significant heart, liver, kidney, blood or respiratory disease.
- Active coronary disease.
- Pregnancy.
- Alcohol or drug abuse.
- Unable to walk unassisted.
- Diabetes mellitus and anterior pituitary abnormalities diagnosed upon screening.
- Premorbid history of psychiatric disorder.
- Premorbid history of head trauma.
Exclusion criteria (sildenafil/placebo group)
- Use of nitrates.
- Use of alpha blockers.
- Systolic blood pressure <100 or >150, diastolic blood pressure <60 or >90. This range is smaller than the acceptable range stated in the prescribing information for sildenafil (>90/50 and <170/110).
- Peripheral vascular disease.
- Use of a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor.
Exclusion criteria (growth hormone/placebo group)
- Coumadin because of the risk of bleeding with daily injections of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rhGH) in the growth hormone (GH) arm of the study.
- Subjects who are deficient in cortisol or thyroid at screening will be excluded until hormone abnormalities have been corrected.
- Subjects with chronic pain who are being managed with narcotics will be excluded as the effects of central nervous system depressants may interfere with study test results.
Sites / Locations
- University of Texas Medical Branch
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
Active Comparator
Recombinant Growth Hormone
Sildenafil
Double blind placebo/Genotropin cross over design for 6 months with cross over at 3 months. Then open label Genotropin from month 6 - 12.
Double blinded placebo/Sildenafil crossover design for 6 months with crossover at month 3. Then open label Sildenafil from months 6-12.