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CompletedNCT00236496Updated Jun 10, 2011

A Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Topiramate Versus Placebo in Treating Tremor of Unknown Cause.

A Phase 3 interventional study of topiramate in Essential Tremor, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2011-06-10.

Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
223
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of topiramate as compared to placebo in treating patients with tremor of unknown cause.

Read the detailed description

Essential tremor is a very common form of tremor, occurring in up to 5% of people. It may be inherited. In 90% of patients, the tremor is in the hands; however, it can also be in the head, voice, legs, jaw, and tongue. Essential tremor may be treated by the blood pressure medicine propranolol or the anti-seizure drug primidone. The drawbacks of these drugs are that they tend to lose effectiveness over time, and they may cause side effects. Researchers believe that topiramate, an anti-seizure drug, may be effective in treating essential tremor. In this double blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with essential tremor will start at a low dose of topiramate (25 milligrams) or placebo. The dose will be gradually increased over 12 weeks to a maximum of 400 milligrams daily, taken in two divided doses. Then, each patient will stay on the established dose for the next 12 weeks. During the next phase of the study, the patients will slowly reduce the dose until they stop taking the study drug, after which, patients have the option of taking up to 600 milligrams of topiramate (not placebo) in a 14-week extension of the study. This study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that topiramate will be more effective than placebo in the treatment of essential tremor as measured by the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (TRS) and is well tolerated. The TRS is a three part scale that measures tremor location/severity rating, specific motor tasks/function rating, and functional disabilities resulting from tremor. Safety evaluations are assessed throughout the study.

Topiramate or placebo, starting with a dose of 25 mg, then gradually increased over 12 weeks up to 400 mg daily (two 100-mg tablets taken by mouth twice a day) and continued on this dose for 12 weeks in the maintenance phase; up to 600 milligrams of topiramate in the open-label phase.

02

Conditions studied

  • Essential Tremor

Keywords

  • tremor
  • essential tremor
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In context

Tremor

257 studies on the registry are indexed under Tremor; 59 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 223 is above the median of 25 across 184 interventional studies indexed under Tremor.

Browse Tremor studies →

Lead sponsor

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. is the lead sponsor of 458 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Current symptoms of essential tremor based on the Tremor Investigational Group (TRIG) criteria
  • Dominant upper extremity posture or action intention tremor of 2 (moderate) to 4 (severe)
  • In good health otherwise

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with abnormal neurologic signs other than essential tremor
  • Taking more than one anti-tremor medication
  • Taking drugs known to cause tremors
  • With physical damage to the nervous system or Parkinson's disease
  • Known to be abusing drugs or alcohol
  • Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double
Enrollment
223 participants (actual)

Interventions

  • Drugtopiramate
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (TRS) score at Visit 8 (or patient's final visit) of the double-blind phase

Secondary outcomes

  1. TRS subscale scores; composite normalized score; overall TRS score; patient and investigator assessment scores.

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 10, 2011, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00236496
Lead sponsor
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.
Collaborators
Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.
First posted
Oct 12, 2005
Start date
Oct 2001
Completion
Feb 2004
Last update
Jun 10, 2011

Study contacts

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. Clinical Trial
study director · Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2010. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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