A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Inositol in Trichotillomania
Pathological hair-pulling, trichotillomania, has been defined as repetitive, intentionally
performed pulling that causes noticeable hair loss and results in clinically significant
distress or functional impairment (1). Trichotillomania appears relatively common with an
estimated prevalence between 1-3% (2). Data on the pharmacological treatment of
trichotillomania is limited to case reports and conflicting double-blind studies of
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (3).
Inositol is used for diabetic nerve pain, panic disorder, high cholesterol, insomnia,
cancer, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), autism, promoting hair growth, a skin disorder called psoriasis, and
treating side effects of medical treatment with some medications, including lithium. A small
study (n=3) found that subject's showed improvement while taking Inositol in both
trichotillomania and pathological skin picking (4). This suggests that Inositol might be
effective in treating a large sample of subjects with trichotillomania and it also suggests
that it may be effective for impulse control disorders in general. Inositol has also been
shown to be effective in treating obsessive compulsive disorder and showed significantly
lower scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (5). Both studies indicate the
effectiveness of Inositol in treating impulsivity and compulsivity in subjects. There is no
medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for trichotillomania. Inositol
represents a potentially safe and effective treatment.
Interventional
Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment
The NIMH Trichotillomania Scales Trichotillomania Symptom Severity Scale (NIMH-TSS)
The entire study for an individual subject will last 10 weeks. Every 2 weeks the subject will take the NIMH-TSS for the duration of the 10 weeks. At each of these visits the outcome will be assessed. The scale itself asses severity of hair pulling.
Once every two weeks for the 10 weeks of the study
No
Jon E Grant, MD,JD,MPH
Principal Investigator
University of Chicago
United States: Food and Drug Administration
2013InositolTTM
NCT01875445
May 2013
Name | Location |
---|---|
University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois 60637 |