CompletedPhase 2

Augmentation of Psychotherapy With D-Cycloserine in Agoraphobia

Germany73 participantsStarted 2011-11

Plain-language summary

Since decades, D-Cycloserine (DCS, drug class: Oxazolidinone) is proven to be an effective antibiotic agent in the treatment of tuberculosis. Furthermore it takes action in the central nervous system as an partial agonist on NMDA receptors. Because of glutamate mediated neuronal long-term potentiation in long-term memory DCS has an augmenting effect on emotional learning, as it occurs in exposure therapy of anxiety disorders. In this context we use DCS in addition to exposure therapy as a part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients suffering from agoraphobia with or without panic disorder. Thereby DCS is applicated oral as a capsule of 50mg, on three consecutive therapy sessions.

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 75 Years

SexALL

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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * written consent (as per AMG §40 (1) 3b) * diagnosis of agoraphobia; severity of the disorder due to the CGI should at least be "moderately ill" * age: 18-75 years * negative pregnancy test for premenopausal women and safe contraception (Pearlindex \< 1) during the study * accessibility (geographical vicinity) for treatment and follow-up * Compliance of the patient Exclusion Criteria: * Known overreaction after taking of D-Cycloserine * Actual pharmacotherapy with ethionamides and/ or isoniazide * Judicial or regulatory hospitalization in a mental institution (as per AMG §40 (1) 4) * Severe psychiatric disorder like schizophrenia, addiction or dementia * acute suicidal tendency * epilepsy or other diseases concerning the CNS (e.g. brain tumor, encephalitis) * internal disease like severe hypertension, cardiac insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, severe dysfunction of liver or kidney, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or disorders of the hematopoiesis * lactation * changes in a psychopharmacotherapy or discontinuation of a pretreatment with psychoactive drugs less than 4 weeks previous to the begin of the study * disturbance of the day and night rhythm * disorder-specific psychotherapy * participation in another AMG-study during the last month previous to the inclusion in the study or during the participation in this study

What they're measuring

Panic- and Agoraphobia Rating Scale (PAS)

Timeframe: Change from Baseline to Posttreatment (5 weeks)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT01928823

SponsorCharite University, Berlin, Germany

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2014-05