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N-acetylcysteine Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder In Veterans With TBI (NAC)

Primary Purpose

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Use

Status
Completed
Phase
Phase 2
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Medical Management Counseling
N-acetylcysteine
Placebo
Sponsored by
University of California, San Francisco
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) focused on measuring TBI, hazardous and harmful alcohol use, Veterans, co-occurring disorders, pharmacotherapy

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male and female veterans
  2. Ages 18-65 (inclusive)
  3. A history of mTBI as defined by American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), in the chronic, stable phase of recovery (>6 months from injury).
  4. Current (past month [30 days]) Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use: Hazardous use is drinking that meets NIAAA criteria: Current (past 30 day) weekly drinking, consisting of an average of 15 standard drinks/week for men or 8 standard drinks/week for women. Harmful use is drinking behavior that meets DSM-5 criteria mild AUD.
  5. Participants must express a desire to reduce or stop alcohol use.
  6. Female subjects that must have a negative urine pregnancy test and must be either postmenopausal one year or practicing an effective birth control method.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unstable psychotic or bipolar disorders, dementia, or other psychiatric disorders judged to be unstable in the clinical judgment of the PI or study physician.
  2. Clinically significant unstable medical conditions, in the clinical judgment of the PI or study physician.
  3. Female patients who are pregnant or nursing.
  4. Concurrent participation in another alcohol treatment study, or in any research study involving medications.
  5. Requiring acute medical detoxification from alcohol based on a score of 12 or more on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale (CIWA-AD).
  6. NAC use in the past week prior to study entry.
  7. Use of AUD treatment medications (disulfiram, naltrexone, or acamprosate) within the past week.
  8. Participants who are legally mandated to participate in an alcohol treatment program.
  9. Participants who have had a suicide attempt in the past 3 months or suicidal ideation, with intent, in the 30 days prior to enrollment.
  10. Participants who in the opinion of the investigator should not be enrolled in the study because of the precautions, warnings or contraindications outlined in the NAC package insert.
  11. Participants with known hypersensitivity to acetylcysteine

Sites / Locations

  • San Francisco VA Medical Center

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm Type

Experimental

Placebo Comparator

Arm Label

N-acetylcysteine

Placebo

Arm Description

N-acetylcysteine capsules daily - up to 3200 mg

Placebo capsules daily - up to 3200 mg

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Change in Percent of Heavy Drinking Days Per Week as Assessed by the Timeline Followback (TFLB)
The TLFB interview, using a calendar, asks participants to report the prior week's frequency of alcohol use on each day of the week.
Change in TBI Symptoms as Assessed by the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI)
Participants indicate the extent to which each of the 22 symptoms has disturbed them in the previous 2 weeks on a 5-item scale (0-none to 4-severe). The NSI total score is the sum of severity ratings of the symptoms. The scores are summed to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 88, where the higher the point value, the greater (more severe) the symptoms

Secondary Outcome Measures

Full Information

First Posted
June 1, 2016
Last Updated
April 21, 2021
Sponsor
University of California, San Francisco
Collaborators
United States Department of Defense, Northern California Institute of Research and Education, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Institute for Translational Neuroscience
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT02791945
Brief Title
N-acetylcysteine Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder In Veterans With TBI
Acronym
NAC
Official Title
N-acetylcysteine Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder In Veterans With TBI
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
April 2021
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
August 2016 (undefined)
Primary Completion Date
May 2018 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
May 2018 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Sponsor
Name of the Sponsor
University of California, San Francisco
Collaborators
United States Department of Defense, Northern California Institute of Research and Education, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Institute for Translational Neuroscience

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee
Yes

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
The goal of the project is to improve the care of Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and unhealthy alcohol use.
Detailed Description
This is a pilot controlled clinical trial that aims to assess the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to reduce alcohol use and improve brain injury symptoms in Veterans with mTBI who consume alcohol at hazardous or harmful levels.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Use
Keywords
TBI, hazardous and harmful alcohol use, Veterans, co-occurring disorders, pharmacotherapy

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Phase 2
Interventional Study Model
Parallel Assignment
Masking
ParticipantInvestigator
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
30 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
N-acetylcysteine
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
N-acetylcysteine capsules daily - up to 3200 mg
Arm Title
Placebo
Arm Type
Placebo Comparator
Arm Description
Placebo capsules daily - up to 3200 mg
Intervention Type
Behavioral
Intervention Name(s)
Medical Management Counseling
Intervention Description
Brief alcohol counseling
Intervention Type
Drug
Intervention Name(s)
N-acetylcysteine
Other Intervention Name(s)
NAC
Intervention Description
Experimental supplement
Intervention Type
Drug
Intervention Name(s)
Placebo
Intervention Description
Placebo comparator
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Change in Percent of Heavy Drinking Days Per Week as Assessed by the Timeline Followback (TFLB)
Description
The TLFB interview, using a calendar, asks participants to report the prior week's frequency of alcohol use on each day of the week.
Time Frame
Baseline to Week 8
Title
Change in TBI Symptoms as Assessed by the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI)
Description
Participants indicate the extent to which each of the 22 symptoms has disturbed them in the previous 2 weeks on a 5-item scale (0-none to 4-severe). The NSI total score is the sum of severity ratings of the symptoms. The scores are summed to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 88, where the higher the point value, the greater (more severe) the symptoms
Time Frame
Baseline to Week 8
Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures:
Title
Change in Number of Standard Drinks Per Week as Assessed by the Timeline Followback (TLFB)
Description
The TLFB interview, using a calendar, asks participants to report the prior week's frequency of alcohol use on each day of the week.
Time Frame
Baseline to Week 8

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Maximum Age & Unit of Time
65 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Male and female veterans Ages 18-65 (inclusive) A history of mTBI as defined by American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), in the chronic, stable phase of recovery (>6 months from injury). Current (past month [30 days]) Hazardous or Harmful Alcohol Use: Hazardous use is drinking that meets NIAAA criteria: Current (past 30 day) weekly drinking, consisting of an average of 15 standard drinks/week for men or 8 standard drinks/week for women. Harmful use is drinking behavior that meets DSM-5 criteria mild AUD. Participants must express a desire to reduce or stop alcohol use. Female subjects that must have a negative urine pregnancy test and must be either postmenopausal one year or practicing an effective birth control method. Exclusion Criteria: Unstable psychotic or bipolar disorders, dementia, or other psychiatric disorders judged to be unstable in the clinical judgment of the PI or study physician. Clinically significant unstable medical conditions, in the clinical judgment of the PI or study physician. Female patients who are pregnant or nursing. Concurrent participation in another alcohol treatment study, or in any research study involving medications. Requiring acute medical detoxification from alcohol based on a score of 12 or more on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale (CIWA-AD). NAC use in the past week prior to study entry. Use of AUD treatment medications (disulfiram, naltrexone, or acamprosate) within the past week. Participants who are legally mandated to participate in an alcohol treatment program. Participants who have had a suicide attempt in the past 3 months or suicidal ideation, with intent, in the 30 days prior to enrollment. Participants who in the opinion of the investigator should not be enrolled in the study because of the precautions, warnings or contraindications outlined in the NAC package insert. Participants with known hypersensitivity to acetylcysteine
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Steven L. Batki, MD
Organizational Affiliation
Unviersity of California, San Francisco
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
San Francisco VA Medical Center
City
San Francisco
State/Province
California
ZIP/Postal Code
94121
Country
United States

12. IPD Sharing Statement

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N-acetylcysteine Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder In Veterans With TBI

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