N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Phase 2

Completed

Conditions: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Interventions: Other: Placebo
Drug: N-Acetylcysteine

Registration Number: NCT01172275

Lead Sponsor: Yale University

Brief Summary: Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 1-3% of children. The investigators currently have effective first-line interventions for pediatric OCD such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). However, roughly half of children with OCD still have clinically significant OCD symptoms despite treatment with first-line pharmacological treatments and CBT interventions for OCD. Furthermore, all pharmacological treatments for OCD in children have an increased side effect burden when compared to adults. Novel treatments for children with OCD are needed.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a natural supplement that acts as an antioxidant and a glutamate modulating agent. NAC has been used safely for decades in doses 20-40 times higher than in this trial as an antidote for acetaminophen overdose. The only side-effect commonly seen with NAC is nausea and this side-effect is seldom seen in the doses used in this trial.

NAC has recently been demonstrated to be effective in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with trichotillomania (chronic hair pulling). Trichotillomania is an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder that is hypothesized to be closely related to OCD. In other trials NAC has evidence of some efficacy in treating diverse psychiatric conditions such as bipolar depression, schizophrenia and cocaine dependence.

The investigators are conducting this trial to determine if NAC is effective in treating OCD.

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 11

Inclusion Criteria

Children aged 8-17 years.
Primary diagnosis of OCD.
Duration of OCD greater than 6 months.
Significant Current OCD symptoms: Current CY-BOCS score > or = 16.

Exclusion Criteria

Comorbid bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, substance use disorder, developmental disorder or mental retardation (IQ<70).
Recent change (less than 4 weeks) in medications that have potential effects on OCD severity (such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, clomipramine, naltrexone, lithium, psychostimulants, anxiolytics, or antipsychotics). Medication change is defined to include either dose changes or medication discontinuation.
Recent change in behavioral treatment for OCD or comorbid conditions within the last 4 weeks or initiation of behavioral therapy for tics within the last 12 weeks.
Asthma requiring medication use within the last 3 months (case reports have linked intravenous NAC administration with asthma exacerbation)
Known hypersensitivity or previous anaphylactoid reaction to acetylcysteine or any components in its preparation.
Positive pregnancy test or drug screening test.
Previous use of N-acetylcysteine (dose greater than 600mg for more than 2 weeks).
Previous history or suspicion of cystinuria because of a possibility of forming kidney stones.

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo	Placebo effervescent tablets. 1 900mg tablet once a day for 1 week, then 1 900mg tablet twice a day for 1 week and then 1 900mg tablet three times a day for the remaining 10 weeks of the trial. Children receiving placebo will be offered the active intervention after the double-blind portion of the trial.
N-Acetylcysteine	N-Acetylcysteine	N-Acetylcysteine effervescent tablets. 1 900mg tablet once a day for 1 week, then 1 900mg tablet twice a day for 1 week and then 1 900mg tablet three times a day for the remaining 10 weeks of the trial.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
OCD Severity at 12 Weeks	12 weeks	Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) (0-7:Subclinical, 8-15: Mild, 16-23: Moderate, 24-31: Severe, 32-40: Extreme)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Overall Improvement at 12 Weeks	12 weeks	Clinician Global Improvement Scale (CGI) 0=Not assessed 4=Moderately ill 1. Normal, not at all ill 5=Markedly ill 2. Borderline mentally ill 6=Severly ill 3. Mildly ill 7=Very much worse