A Phase 2 interventional study of thiamine hydrochloride 100 mg in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Thiamine and Vitamin B1, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-28.
Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this study is to examine the effectiveness of thiamine in reducing depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. The investigators hypothesize that thiamine administration will alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents and will have a favorable safety profile.
Participants will complete a baseline virtual visit with a study clinician and parent/guardian questionnaires to assess depression symptoms, medical history, current medications, and study eligibility.
Participants will complete fasting blood draws before and after the 4-week study period and, if eligible, receive study thiamine capsules by mail to take daily during the study.
Participants will attend weekly virtual visits for 4 weeks to monitor depression symptoms, safety, medication adherence, side effects, and any changes in medications or treatments.
This will be a 28-day, open-label, Phase 2a pilot trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 100 mg of daily oral thiamine in the treatment of depression in children and adolescents. Subjects will include pediatric patients 8-17 years of age with elevated depressive symptoms. The investigators plan to enroll 40 subjects to account for an expected dropout rate, with the goal of retaining 30 participants for analysis.
The main outcome measures will be improvement in depressive symptoms as measured by the Children Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Overall clinical functioning will be assessed using the Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) and Improvement (CGI-I) scales. The Children's Depression Inventory-2 Parent Form (CDI-2) will also be included as a secondary outcome measure.
Thiamine status will be assessed by measuring thiamine diphosphate (TDP) concentrations in whole blood samples (3 mL), collected in EDTA tubes (lavender top) at two time points: at baseline and at the end of study (Day 28).
In addition to measuring thiamine diphosphate (TDP) concentrations, the investigators will also assess a panel of inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers at baseline and at the end of study (Day 28). These biomarkers include C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leptin.
Biomarker testing allows exploration of potential thiamine mechanisms of action.
The investigators plan to treat subjects with the following doses:
Thiamine hydrochloride (HCL): 100 mg daily
At each visit, measures of safety and efficacy will be obtained using rating scales.
3,041 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major; 588 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 79 across 2,530 interventional studies indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major.
Browse Depressive Disorder, Major studies →Massachusetts General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 2,586 studies on the registry; 447 are open to participants now.
Of its 222 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 168 (76%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive 100 mg HCl oral thiamine capsules, which will be swallowed whole.
Drug: thiamine hydrochloride 100 mg
Participants will receive 100 mg HCl oral thiamine capsules, which will be swallowed whole.
Also known as: Vitamin B1, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Thiamine HCl
Change From Baseline in Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) Total Score
Change in depressive symptom severity from baseline to Week 4 as measured by the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Lower scores indicate reduced depression severity and improvement in depressive symptoms over the course of thiamine treatment.
Time frame: 28 days
Number of Participants Demonstrating Clinical Improvement on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale
Number of participants demonstrating clinical improvement on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale at Week 4. The proportion of participants meeting the predefined improvement threshold will be reported along with the corresponding 95% confidence interval.
Time frame: 28 days
Concentration of End-of-Treatment Whole Blood Thiamine Diphosphate (TDP) and Depression Severity Measured by the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) Total Score at Day 28
The association between whole blood thiamine diphosphate (TDP) concentration and depression severity at the end of treatment (Day 28) will be evaluated. Thiamine status will be assessed by measurement of TDP concentration in whole blood samples collected at Day 28. Depression severity will be assessed using the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) total score (range: 17 to 113; higher scores indicate greater depression severity). Regression models will be used to evaluate the relationship between Day 28 TDP concentration and Day 28 CDRS-R total score.
Time frame: 28 days
Change in Blood Concentrations of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Leptin From Baseline to Day 28
Blood concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and leptin will be measured at baseline and Day 28. Change from baseline to Day 28 in each biomarker concentration will be assessed to characterize changes in inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers during thiamine supplementation. Changes over time will be evaluated using effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals.
Time frame: 28 days
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Jan 2029, 27 months later.
Of 99 non-industry phase 2 interventional studies under Depressive Disorder, Major, half reached primary completion within 35 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 57. This study's planned 27 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 195 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 37.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Thiamine hydrochloride
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