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CompletedNCT01038128Updated May 4, 2015Results posted

An Open Label Trial of Memantine in the Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa and Body Dysmorphic Disorder

An interventional study of Memantine in Bulimia Nervosa and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, sponsored by Mclean Hospital. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-05-04.

Sponsored by Mclean Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
5
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The primary objective of this 13-week clinical trial is to test the hypothesis that treatment with Memantine will significantly improve the symptoms of those suffering from either bulimia nervosa, purging type or suffering from body dysmorphic disorder.

Read the detailed description

The primary objective of this clinical trial is to test the hypothesis that treatment with Memantine, an anti-glutamatergic drug, will significantly improve the core symptoms of those suffering from either bulimia nervosa, purging type or suffering from body dysmorphic disorder.

We will test this hypothesis by performing a 13-week open label study investigating the use of memantine, at a dose of 10-40mg daily, as a treatment for patients with either bulimia nervosa or body dysmorphic disorder. Improvement for patients with bulimia nervosa will be assessed using the Frequency of binge eating and vomiting as recorded in diary card, Eating Disorder Evaluation (EDE), and the Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorders Scale (YBC-EDS). Improvement for patients with body dysmorphic disorder will be assessed using the the Yale-Brown-Cornell Eating Disorders Scale (YBC-EDS) and Brown Assessments of Beliefs Scale. In addition both groups will also receive the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity and Improvement Scales (clinician rated), Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-Improvement), Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Version 11, Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS).

02

Conditions studied

  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Keywords

  • Bulimia nervosa
  • Bulimia
  • Body dysmorphic disorder
  • Eating disorders
  • Body image
  • Binge eating
  • purging
03

In context

Bulimia Nervosa

166 studies on the registry are indexed under Bulimia Nervosa; 38 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 5 is below the median of 60 across 117 interventional studies indexed under Bulimia Nervosa.

Browse Bulimia Nervosa studies →

Lead sponsor

Mclean Hospital is the lead sponsor of 185 studies on the registry; 32 are open to participants now.

Of its 15 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 11 (73%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Bulimia Nervosa

  • Participants must meet DSM-IV criteria for a current diagnosis of bulimia nervosa as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and Eating Disorder Examination (EDE).
  • Participants must report an average of 3 or more binges and vomiting episodes per week in the 2-week period prior to the screening visit.
  • Male or Female between 18 and 65 years of age, inclusive.
  • Female participants must be: postmenopausal for at least one year, surgically sterile, or practicing an effective method of birth control (e.g., prescription oral contraceptives, contraceptive injections, intrauterine device, double-barrier method, contraceptive patch, male partner sterilization, abstinence and agreeing to continue abstinence or to use one of the acceptable methods of contraception just enumerated should sexual activity commence) before entry and throughout the study; and have a negative serum pregnancy test at the screening visit.
  • Participants must have observed a designated washout period of at least seven days or a period equal to five half-lives of prohibited medications.
  • Participants must be able to take oral medication, adhere to the medication regimens, and be willing to return for regular visits.
  • Participants must be able and willing to read and comprehend written instructions and comprehend and complete all scales and questionnaires required by the protocol.
  • Participants must have signed an informed consent document indicating that they understand the purpose of and procedures required for the study and are willing to participate in the study.

Inclusion Criteria: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Inclusion criteria for participants with body dysmorphic disorder are identical to those for bulimia nervosa above, with the following differences in the first two criteria:

  • Participants must meet DSM-IV criteria for a current diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder as determined by the SCID.
  • Participants must exhibit a score of ≥ 20 on the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Version of the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (BDD-YBOCS) at a score of ≥ 5 on the first three items of the BDD-YBOCS, which are the items that assess the DSM-IV criteria for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Exclusion Criteria for both Bulimia Nervosa and Body Dysmorphic Disorder:

  • Participants with a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, or bipolar disorder as defined by DSM-IV and supported by the SCID.
  • Participants with clinically significant current depression or who, in the investigators' judgment, might require intervention with either pharmacological or non-pharmacological therapy for major depressive disorder over the course of the study.
  • Participants judged clinically to be at suicidal or homicidal risk by the study physician.
  • Participants meeting DSM-IV criteria for any form of substance dependence or abuse (with the exception of nicotine or caffeine dependence) within 3 months prior to the screening visit.
  • Participants meeting DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa within 3 months prior to the screening visit.
  • Participants with a current DSM-IV diagnosis of an organic mental disorder.
  • Participants who have begun to receive formal psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy or self-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy) for bulimia nervosa within 6 months prior to the screening visit.
  • Participants who display a positive urine screen for drugs of abuse (phencyclidine, cocaine, amphetamines, tetrahydrocannabinol, and opiates) at the screening visit.
  • Participants who have previously received memantine for any reason.
  • Participants who have received an investigational medication within 30 days of the screening visit.
  • Participants who are pregnant or lactating.
  • Participants with a body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 or greater than 35.
  • Participants who have abused ipecac as a method of purging within the past 2 years.
  • Participants who exhibit a serum potassium level of less than 3.0 mEq/L.
  • Participants with thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations outside the range of 0.5-5.0 lU/mL.
  • Participants with clinically significant or unstable medical conditions
  • Participants who in the opinion of the investigator should not be enrolled in the study because of the precautions, warnings or contraindications sections of the prescribing information for memantine
  • Employees of the investigator, individuals with direct involvement in studies under the direction of the study investigators, as well as family members of the employees of the investigators.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
5 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Memantine

    Memantine, 10-40 mg daily

    Drug: Memantine

Interventions

  • Drug: Memantine, 10-40 mg daily

    Also known as: Namenda

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Binge Eating and Self-induced Vomiting Episodes

    Number of self-reported binge eating and self-induced vomiting episodes during the week prior to the Baseline and Endpoint Visits.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

  2. Ratings of Eating Pathology

    Ratings obtained from the self-induced vomiting and laxative misuse sections of the Eating Disorder Examination. The scale asks participants to calculate discreet episodes of self-induced vomiting and laxative misuses over the period of four weeks. Generally, the value obtained is the number of occurrences. However, in cases where the number of occurrences was too great to be calculated, the number "777" was used. The scale is therefore open-ended, with higher numbers coinciding with a greater number of episodes.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

  3. Clinical Global Impression Scale

    Disorder severity is measured based on the Clinical Global Impression Scale. The scale ranges from 1 unit (Not at all ill) to 7 units (extremely ill).

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

  4. Body Dysmorphic Disorder Version of the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

    The scale ranges from 0 to 91 units, with 0 representing the least ill and 91 representing the most ill.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

  5. Brown Assessments of Belief Scale

    The range for this scale is 0 to 28 units, with 0 representing the least ill and 28 representing the most ill.

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

07

Results

Posted Jun 12, 2012

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneMemantine
Started5
Baseline visit3
Completed1
Not completed4
Withdrew: Lack of efficacy1
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up1
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject2

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Binge Eating and Self-induced Vomiting Episodes

Number of self-reported binge eating and self-induced vomiting episodes during the week prior to the Baseline and Endpoint Visits.

Time frame:
Baseline to 12 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · number of episodes
Number of Binge Eating and Self-induced Vomiting Episodes
number of episodesMemantine
Binge Eating Baseline20.67 ± 14.74
Binge Eating Endpoint31.33 ± 35.25
Purging Baseline21.67 ± 27.30
Purging Endpoint36.67 ± 54.93
PrimaryRatings of Eating Pathology

Ratings obtained from the self-induced vomiting and laxative misuse sections of the Eating Disorder Examination. The scale asks participants to calculate discreet episodes of self-induced vomiting and laxative misuses over the period of four weeks. Generally, the value obtained is the number of occurrences. However, in cases where the number of occurrences was too great to be calculated, the number "777" was used. The scale is therefore open-ended, with higher numbers coinciding with a greater number of episodes.

Time frame:
Baseline to 12 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · units on a scale
Ratings of Eating Pathology
units on a scaleMemantine
Baseline Data101.33 ± 71.07
Endpoint Data38.67 ± 30.27
PrimaryClinical Global Impression Scale

Disorder severity is measured based on the Clinical Global Impression Scale. The scale ranges from 1 unit (Not at all ill) to 7 units (extremely ill).

Time frame:
Baseline to 12 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · units on a scale
Clinical Global Impression Scale
units on a scaleMemantine
Baseline Data5 ± 0
Endpoint Data4 ± 1.41
PrimaryBody Dysmorphic Disorder Version of the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

The scale ranges from 0 to 91 units, with 0 representing the least ill and 91 representing the most ill.

Time frame:
Baseline to 12 weeks
Reported as:
Mean · units on a scale
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Version of the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
units on a scaleMemantine
Baseline Data57.67 ± 0.58
Endpoint Data48.67 ± 6.51
PrimaryBrown Assessments of Belief Scale

The range for this scale is 0 to 28 units, with 0 representing the least ill and 28 representing the most ill.

Time frame:
Baseline to 12 weeks

No measurements were reported for this outcome.

Adverse events

Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Memantine—0/3 (0%)3/3 (100%)
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventMemantine
ConstipationGastrointestinal disorders1/3
HeadacheGeneral disorders1/3
Pain when closing eyesEye disorders1/3
Constant eye pressureEye disorders1/3
Eye painEye disorders1/3
CoughRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders1/3

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Memantine
<=18 years0
Between 18 and 65 years5
>=65 years0
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Memantine
Mean41.5 ± 18.6
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Memantine
Female5
Male0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Memantine
United States5
08

Study locations

1 site
  • McLean Hospital
    Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, United States
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 4, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01038128
Lead sponsor
Mclean Hospital
Responsible party
James I. Hudson, MD (Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Mclean Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 23, 2009
Start date
Dec 2009
Primary completion
May 2011
Completion
May 2011
Results posted
Jun 12, 2012
Last update
May 4, 2015

Study contacts

James I Hudson, M.D., Sc.D.
principal investigator · Mclean Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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