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Purpose

The purpose of the Pilot Study Investigating the Efficacy of Minocycline and n-acetylcysteine for Bipolar Depression is to test the effectiveness of minocycline, n-acetylcysteine, and combined minocycline and n-acetylcysteine pharmacotherapy in order to fill the gap in treatments for bipolar depression. The treatment of bipolar depression remains the greatest unmet need in the management of this lifelong and chronic psychiatric disorder.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 65 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Able to give written informed consent and follow study procedures 2. Age > or = 18 years and < or = 65 years 3. Meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) criteria for Bipolar Disorder Type I, which is the primary focus of treatment 4. Currently depressed, as defined by a Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of > or = 18 at screen and baseline (randomization) 5. Participants will remain on baseline mood stabilizer pharmacotherapy with lithium during the study. They will need to have been on lithium with stable therapeutic blood levels for at least two weeks prior to randomization and agree not to change medications during the study. 6. Women of child bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (e.g. oral contraceptives, intrauterine device, double barrier methods), if sexually active. Depo Provera is acceptable if it is started 3 months prior to enrollment. If hormonal contraceptives are used, participants must also agree to use a backup method of birth control. They will also need to understand the risks of lithium and other study treatments to the fetus and infant.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Unwilling or unable to comply with study requirements 2. Patients who are a serious suicide or homicide risk, or currently in crisis such that inpatient hospitalization or other crisis management should take priority 3. DSM-V diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder not otherwise specified, cyclothymia, schizoaffective bipolar type 4. Primary anxiety disorders (e.g. Panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder) or patients where the anxiety disorder is the primary focus of treatment 5. Any history of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or OCD-spectrum disorders 6. Clinical or laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism; if maintained on thyroid medication must be euthyroid for at least 1 month before Visit 1 7. Subjects having failed two or more trials of somatic therapy (i.e. medications for bipolar depression or Food and Drug Administration-approved devices) during the current bipolar depressive episode 8. Drug/alcohol abuse or dependence active within the past 3 months, or current substance use disorder that requires detoxification 9. Pregnancy (as determined by urine pregnancy test) 10. Suspected or known clinically unstable systemic medical disorder including epilepsy, untreated endocrine disease, unstable angina, recent ulcers or significant esophagitis 11. Conditions which may be negatively affected by minocycline treatment, such as inflammatory bowel disease (e.g. ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease) 12. History of significant treatment non-adherence or situations where the subject is unlikely to adhere to treatment, in the opinion of the investigator 13. Current use of minocycline or history of anaphylactic reaction or intolerance to minocycline or any component of the preparation 14. Current use of greater than 500mg of NAC/day, 200ug of selenium/day or 500 IU of Vitamin E/day 15. History of anaphylactic reaction or intolerance to NAC or any component of the preparation 16. A primary clinical diagnosis of a personality disorder, or comorbid diagnosis of antisocial or borderline personality disorder 17. A history of C. difficile colitis 18. A history of tetracycline allergy 19. Liver enzymes above the upper limit of normal

Study Design

Phase
Phase 4
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Minocycline 		Patients in the minocycline group will take 1 minocycline (100mg) and 2 NAC placebo capsules in the morning and 1 minocycline (100mg) and 2 NAC placebo capsules in the evening for a total of 6 capsules per day over the course of the study.
  • Drug: Minocycline
    Minocycline is an FDA-approved antibiotic commonly used to treat bacterial infections.
  • Other: Placebo
    The placebo control is an inactive sugar pill that mimics the active comparators in appearance.
Active Comparator
N-acetylcysteine 		Patients in the NAC group will take 2 NAC (500mg) capsules and 1 minocycline placebo capsule in the morning and 2 NAC (500mg) capsules and 1 minocycline placebo capsule in the evening for a total of 6 capsules per day over the course of the study.
  • Dietary Supplement: N-acetylcysteine
    NAC is an FDA-approved mucolytic (a type of drug used to relieve respiratory difficulties) and is also used for the treatment of acetaminophen toxicity.
  • Other: Placebo
    The placebo control is an inactive sugar pill that mimics the active comparators in appearance.
Active Comparator
Minocycline + N-acetylcysteine 		Patients in the minocycline NAC combination group will take 2 NAC (500mg) and 1 minocycline (100mg) capsule in the morning and 2 NAC (500mg) and 1 minocycline (100mg) capsule in the evening for a total of 6 capsules per day over the course of the study.
  • Dietary Supplement: N-acetylcysteine
    NAC is an FDA-approved mucolytic (a type of drug used to relieve respiratory difficulties) and is also used for the treatment of acetaminophen toxicity.
  • Drug: Minocycline
    Minocycline is an FDA-approved antibiotic commonly used to treat bacterial infections.
Placebo Comparator
Placebo Control 		Patients in the placebo control group will take 2 NAC placebo capsules and 1 minocycline placebo capsule in the morning and 2 NAC placebo capsules and 1 minocycline placebo capsule in the evening for a total of 6 capsules per day over the course of the study.
  • Other: Placebo
    The placebo control is an inactive sugar pill that mimics the active comparators in appearance.

More Details

Status
Suspended
Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Contact

Detailed Description

The investigators are doing this research study to find out if minocycline alone, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) alone, or the combination of minocycline and NAC can help people with bipolar depression when added to lithium. The investigators also want to find out if minocycline, NAC, and the combination of minocycline and NAC are safe to take without causing too many side effects. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved minocycline to treat infections and acne and has approved NAC as a mucolytic, the FDA has not approved minocycline, n-acetylcysteine, or the combination of minocycline and n-acetylcysteine to treat bipolar depression. This research study will compare minocycline, n-acetylcysteine, and the combination of n-acetylcysteine and minocycline to placebo. The placebo looks exactly like the other study drugs, but contains neither minocycline nor NAC. During this study participants may get a placebo instead of minocycline, n-acetylcysteine, or the combination of minocycline and n-acetylcysteine. Placebos are used in research studies to see if the results are due to the study drug or due to other reasons.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.