Treatments for Insomnia in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease Clinical Trial

Official title: Treatments for Insomnia in Patients With Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

More than half of patients with Parkinson's have troubles with insomnia. There are several treatment options for insomnia that have been studied in the general population - however, the investigators don't know if these treatments work for patients with Parkinson's. It is possible that people with Parkinson's may have different treatment responses.

The goal of this project is to test in a pilot study the tolerability and effectiveness of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments to improve insomnia in patients with Parkinson's disease. Each participant in this study will be wearing a wrist actigrapch and fill out the sleep diary. Three main treatment strategies will be tested: Placebo Light therapy, Cognitive behavioural therapy and active light therapy, and insomnia medications. The treatment that each person will receive first will be chosen randomly. If the first therapy has not been effective, participant may choose to re-enrol in the trial with one of the remaining two therapies.

Clinical Trial Description

There are now a variety of treatments that can help to manage insomnia, including non-pharmacological and pharmacologic measures. Although many of these strategies have been proven to be effective in the general population very few studies have been conducted with Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. Insomnia in PD has unique characteristics and pathophysiology; therefore, measures to treat insomnia in the general population may be ineffective in PD.

The goal of this project is to test in a pilot study the tolerability and effectiveness of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments to improve insomnia in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Participants will come for four visits: for screening, then in 1 week, 3 weeks and 7 weeks. Study visits should take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. During the entire period of the study, the participant will be wearing a wrist actigraph - this is a motion sensing device the size of a wristwatch. Specific instructions how to use this device and how to use the sleep diary will explained at the first visit. Participant will also be filling out sleep diaries every day, to keep track of how many hours you sleep, etc. During each of the study visits there will be an in-depth interview, and researcher will review with the participants their sleep diaries and troubleshoot any problems.

In this trial the investigators will be testing three main treatment strategies. The treatment that the patient will receive first will be chosen randomly - this is essential to properly test our strategies. Participant will know which group he/she has been assigned to. If the first therapy has not been effective for the patient, he/she may choose to re-enroll in the trial, in which case participant will receive one of the remaining two therapies. The therapies are:

1. Light therapy, which patient will use for 30 minutes, starting at two hours (+/- 1 hour) before your usual bedtime. Light boxes will be provided by our team. Patient will be instructed how to use this light.

2. Cognitive behavioural therapy and sleep hygiene training - This will involve education about sleep in general, giving techniques related to sleep and relaxation, tips on stress management, etc.. This will take place at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital. There will be 6 weekly sessions totaling 90 minutes - most of the time this will be in a group setting, with a maximum of 6 patients per group. Light therapy will also be part of this treatment strategy.

3. Insomnia medications - In this portion patient will receive medications to help them sleep. Depending on the type of patient's sleep problem, this will either be a medication called desipramine (also called Doxepin), or zopiclone (also called Imovane). Both of these medications are currently used for insomnia in people without Parkinson's. These medications will be prescribed exactly as any other medical prescription, and participant will take them as any other medical prescription. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Subject), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Insomnia
• Parkinson Disease
• Parkinson's Disease

• NCT number: NCT01489982
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: McGill University Health Center
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 0
• Start date: January 2011
• Completion date: December 2012