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Modafinil for clozapine-treated schizophrenia patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Author(s): Freudenreich O, Henderson DC, Macklin EA, Evins AE, Fan X, Cather C, Walsh JP, Goff DC

Affiliation(s): Massachusetts General Hospital Schizophrenia Program, Freedom Trail Clinic, Boston, MA 02114, USA. ofreudenreich@partners.org

Publication date & source: 2009-12, J Clin Psychiatry., 70(12):1674-80. Epub 2009 Aug 11.

Publication type: Comparative Study; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia often suffer from cognitive deficits and negative symptoms that are poorly responsive to antipsychotics including clozapine. Clozapine-induced sedation can worsen cognition and impair social and occupational functioning. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of modafinil for negative symptoms, cognition, and wakefulness/fatigue in DSM-IV-diagnosed schizophrenia patients treated with clozapine. METHOD: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dosed 8-week pilot trial was conducted between September 2003 and September 2007, adding modafinil up to 300 mg/d to stabilized schizophrenia outpatients receiving clozapine. Psychopathology, cognition, and wakefulness/fatigue were assessed with standard rating scales. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were randomly assigned to treatment with study drug and included in the analysis. Modafinil did not reduce negative symptoms or wakefulness/fatigue or improve cognition compared to placebo. Modafinil was well tolerated and did not worsen psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this pilot trial do not support routine use of modafinil to treat negative symptoms, cognitive deficits, or wakefulness/fatigue in patients on clozapine. However, given our limited power to detect a treatment effect and the clear possibility of a type II error, larger trials are needed to resolve or refute a potential therapeutic effect of uncertain magnitude. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00573417. Copyright 2009 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Page last updated: 2010-10-05

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