The Efficacy and Safety of Escitalopram for Depression in Multiple Sclerosis

A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Investigation Into the Safety and Efficacy of Escitalopram for Depression in Multiple Sclerosis

Status

Terminated

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00151294

Enrollment

Registered

2005-09-08

Start date

2004-11-30

Completion date

2006-10-31

Last updated

2006-09-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depression, Multiple Sclerosis

Keywords

Depression (mild to moderate), Affective symptoms, Emotional lability, Multiple Sclerosis

Brief summary

Emotionally labile, depressed participants with multiple sclerosis treated with escitalopram will have a greater reduction in emotional lability scores and in their psychological distress scores than those who are randomized to receive placebo.

Detailed description

Patients with multiple sclerosis who are experiencing mood lability and symptoms of depression will be randomized to receive either escitalopram 10mg/day or placebo tablets for a period of 6 weeks. It is hypothesized that patients receiving medication will experience a greater normalization of their emotional instability and a greater reduction in their depressive symptoms at the end of the six-week trial than those who are not receiving medication.

Interventions

DRUGescitalopram oxalate antidepressant

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis * Having mild to moderate depressive symptoms, with or without emotional lability * Experiencing psychological distress

Exclusion criteria

* Meeting DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder or another Axis 1 diagnosis * Cognitive impairment * The presence of an unstable medical illness that might preclude completion of the study -

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Escitalopram-treated MS patients will have greater reductions in their depressive symptom scores than patients randomized to placebo	—
Adverse events for both groups will be similar	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Escitalopram-treated emotionally labile patients with MS will have a greater reduction in emotional lability scores than those randomized to placebo.	—

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026