Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT03228732

The Effects of Fluoxetine and/or DHEA

(1) To determine how the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine (Prozac), an antidepressant often used to treat depression, stimulates the participant's body's ability to defend against low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). (2) To learn how a hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), stimulates the participant's body's ability to defend itself from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). DHEA is a hormone produced naturally in the human body. However, it can be manufactured and is sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement. The dose the investigators are giving in this study is higher than the usual recommended dosage taken as a supplement for certain medical conditions. (3) To study combined effects of fluoxetine and DHEA during low blood glucose. In the present study, the investigators will measure the participant's body's responses to hypoglycemia when given fluoxetine or DHEA or fluoxetine and DHEA or a placebo (a pill with no fluoxetine or DHEA). Approximately 64 individuals with type 1 diabetes will take part in this study.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Autoimmune Diseases Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 Endocrine System Diseases Glucose Metabolism Disorders Immune System Diseases Metabolic Diseases Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Age range

18 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Early Phase 1

Primary location

University of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Maka Siamashvili, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

410-706-5623

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 64 (32 males, 32 females) T1DM patients aged 18-50 yr.
  • HbA1c < 11.0%
  • No clinically diagnosed diabetic tissue complications (i.e. history of retinopathy, neuropathy, stasis ulcers, etc)
  • Body mass index < 40kg · m-2

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy
  • Subjects unable to give voluntary informed consent
  • Subjects on anticoagulant drugs, anemic or with known bleeding diatheses
  • Subjects taking any of the following medications will be excluded: Non-selective Beta Blockers, Sedative-Hypnotics, Anticonvulsants, Antiparkinsonian drugs, Antipsychotics, Antidepressants, Mood stabilizers, CNS Stimulants, Opioids, Hallucinogens
  • Subjects with a recent medical illness or past history of severe depression, mania or psychotic disease
  • Subjects that score greater than 50 on the depression scale
  • Subjects unwillingness or inability to comply with approved contraception measures
  • Abnormal results following screening tests and physical examination that are clinically significant
  • Subjects with a history of severe uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., blood pressure greater than 160/100), heart disease, cerebrovascular incidents
  • Clinically significant cardiac abnormalities (e.g. heart failure, arrhythmias, ischemic tachycardia, S-T segment deviations, etc.) from history or from cardiac stress testing in subjects ≥ 40 years old.
  • Pneumonia
  • Hepatic Failure/Jaundice
  • Creatinine greater than 1.6 mg/dl
  • Acute Cerebrovascular/ Neurological deficit
  • Fever greater than 38 °C

Screening Laboratory Tests Exclusion Criteria

  • Hematocrit lower than 32
  • WBC lower than 3 thou/ul or greater than 14 thou/ul
  • Liver Function Tests: SGOT and SGPT greater than twice upper limit of normal range (i.e. greater than 80 U/L).
  • TBil greater than 2 mg/dl
  • Alkaline Phosphatase greater than 150U/L
  • Positive HIV, Hep B, Hep C
  • Hepatic transaminase > 2x normal

Treatment and study plan

Placebo oral tablet

Drug

There will be two 2-day inpatient visits with 8-weeks of treatment with placebo between those visits.

Fluoxetine

Drug

There will be two 2-day inpatient visits with 8-weeks of treatment with fluoxetine between those visits.

DHEA

Drug

There will be two 2-day inpatient visits with 8-weeks of treatment with DHEA between those visits.

Other names: dehydroepiandrosterone

Fluoxetine and DHEA

Drug

There will be two 2-day inpatient visits with 8-weeks of treatment with fluoxetine and DHEA between those visits.

Other names: Prozac, dehydroepiandrosterone

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in the level of catecholamines in plasma

    Time frame: An average of 3 years

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Maka Siamashvili, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

410-706-5623

Vanessa Briscoe, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Fluoxetine and/or DHEA, on Neuroendocrine, Autonomic Nervous System and Metabolic Counterregulatory Responses During Repeated Hypoglycemia in T1DM Individuals

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 25, 2017
Registry last updated
Oct 6, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.