Riluzole in the Treatment of Bipolar Depression

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2009-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Bipolar disorder is a common and often chronic and debilitating mental illness. The depressive phase of bipolar disorder contributes the largest portion of the disorder, and treatment resistant bipolar depression represents a significant public health problem. Recent research has suggested that bipolar depression is associated with elevated brain glutamate activity. We hypothesize that riluzole, a drug approved for ALS which inhibits glutamate activity, will lead to clinical improvement in patients with bipolar depression.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Mclean Hospital
• Treatments: Riluzole

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female age 18-65

• Meets DSM-IV criteria for Bipolar Disorder and is currently depressed

• Current score of >/= 18 on the Hamilton Depression Scale

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active psychotic/manic symptoms

• Lifetime history of schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorder

• Clinically significant medical disease

• Women who are pregnant or lactating and women who are not using a medically accepted method of contraception.