An interventional study of Flax oil in Bipolar Disorder, sponsored by University of Rochester. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-06-19.
Sponsored by University of Rochester · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that flax oil, as an omega-3 fatty acid, will be superior to placebo in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.
Our primary objective was to determine if flax oil is efficacious in the pediatric bipolar population for reducing symptoms of mania and depression. A secondary objective was to examine fatty acid levels as predictors of treatment response and symptom severity. This clinical trial evaluated whether supplementation with flax oil, containing the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA), safely reduced symptom severity in youth with bipolar disorder.
Pediatric bipolar disorder is a difficult-to-treat recurrent mental illness characterized by a predominant mood state of irritability, and often mixed, rapid-cycling, and psychotic symptoms. Results of randomized controlled trials of lithium, valproic acid, and antipsychotics for early onset bipolar disorder offer hope of improvement for many, yet also demonstrate need for additional treatment options for those children who do not respond adequately to, or cannot tolerate, a first-line mood stabilizer alone or in combination with an atypical antipsychotic. As popular over-the-counter dietary supplements, omega-3 fatty acids represent an appealing option for treatment in the younger bipolar population as they are likely to be better tolerated and cost less compared with conventional mood stabilizing agents. In addition, they have appeal to parents and adolescents due to their perception as a 'natural' substance and relative lack of systemic side effects. To our knowledge, there are no prospective, randomized, controlled trials of flax oil for the treatment of bipolar disorder or selectively evaluating omega-3 fatty acids in the child and adolescent bipolar population.
Children and adolescents aged 6-17 years with symptomatic Bipolar I or II disorder (n=51), manic, hypomanic, mixed, or depressed, were randomized to either flax oil capsules containing 550 mg alpha-linolenic acid per 1 gram or an olive oil placebo adjunctively or as monotherapy. Doses were titrated to 12 capsules per day as tolerated over 16 weeks. Primary outcomes included changes in the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Child Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R), and Clinical Global Impressions- Bipolar (CGI-BP) ratings using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Baseline and end-of-study free fatty acids were measured and examined for change and relevance to effect.
1,601 studies on the registry are indexed under Bipolar Disorder; 254 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 65 is close to the median of 64 across 1,223 interventional studies indexed under Bipolar Disorder.
Browse Bipolar Disorder studies →University of Rochester is the lead sponsor of 715 studies on the registry; 116 are open to participants now.
Of its 56 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 44 (79%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Drug: Flax oil
Flax oil and olive oil placebo were analyzed for quality and purity; sufficient bioactivity was confirmed for the flax oil independently at the University of Massachusetts mid-way through the study. Each capsule of omega -3 fatty acid concentrate contained 550 mg of α-linolenic acid (α-LNA) from flax seed oil.A stepped but flexible dose-titration schedule was carried out with doses increased by 1-2 grams at each visit as tolerated, to an attempted total dose of 6 capsules twice per day, as requested by the FDA (up to 6.6 grams of daily α-linolenic acid).
Also known as: Omega-3 Research Institute, Bethesda, MD
Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
Time frame: EOW 2,4,6,8,10,12,16
Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R)
Time frame: EOW 2,4,6,8,10,12,16
Clinical Global Impression - Bipolar Version (CGI)
Time frame: EOW 2,4,6,8,10,12,16
This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Rochester