New study tests common antidepressant for PTSD in military and civilian groups
NCT ID NCT05422612
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 01, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This phase 2 study is testing whether fluoxetine, a widely used antidepressant, can reduce PTSD symptoms in 800 adults including active-duty service members, veterans, and civilians. Participants receive either fluoxetine or a placebo for 12 weeks, and researchers measure changes in PTSD severity using a standard clinical scale. The study also monitors for side effects like suicidal thoughts.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- fluoxetine (a common antidepressant)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a reliable treatment option to reduce PTSD symptoms in military and civilian populations.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early phase 2 trial with 800 participants, so results may not confirm effectiveness. Fluoxetine is already used for depression, but its benefit for PTSD is not proven, and side effects like suicidal thoughts are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 800 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: An individual must meet all the following criteria to be eligible to participate in this study: 1. Is willing and able to provide written informed consent. 2. ≥18 and \<65 years of age at Screening. 3. Meets DSM-5 criteria for PTSD according to CAPS-5-R, Past Month assessment at Screening and Baseline. 4. The index trauma must have occurred more than 3 months prior to Screening. 5. Has a CAPS-5-R, Past Month total score of ≥26 at Screening and Baseline. Note: The CAPS-5 scoring grid will be used to score answers and to calculate the total score to determine eligibility. 6. Participants must be able to read, speak, and understand English sufficiently to complete the CAPS-5, which is the primary efficacy endpoint and is administered by trained Centralized Assessors. 7. Agrees to consistently use an acceptable method of birth control (required for both males and females who are of reproductive potential and sexually active with partners of the opposite sex) throughout the duration of participants' involvement in the study and for a minimum of 30 days after the last dose of study intervention or longer, as specified in the assigned cohort-specific appendices. 1. For females of reproductive potential, acceptable birth control methods are defined as: hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine device, or double barrier contraception (ie, male condom and diaphragm, male condom or diaphragm with spermicidal gel or foam). Hormonal contraceptives must have been started at least 2 months prior to the Baseline Visit. In addition, agrees to no egg donation or harvesting for the duration of the study and for at least 30 days after the last dose of study intervention or as specified in the assigned cohort-specific appendices. 2. Non-reproductive potential for females is defined by a post-menopausal (12 consecutive months without menses or surgically sterile). If in question, an FSH of \>40 U/mL, per central laboratory testing must be documented. Surgical sterility (hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, or bilateral tubal ligation) must be documented. 3. Females of reproductive potential must have a negative pregnancy test at the Screening (serum) Visit and Baseline (urine) Visit. 4. For males, adequate birth control methods will be defined as the use of double barrier contraception (e.g., male condom and diaphragm, male condom or diaphragm with spermicidal gel or foam). In addition, male participants must agree not to donate sperm for the duration of the study and for at least 30 days after the last dose of study intervention or as specified in the assigned cohort-specific appendices. 5. Non-reproductive potential for males is defined as surgical sterility (i.e., vasectomy) at least 3 months prior to Baseline. 8. Is able and willing to participate in study assessments and undergo blood draws. 9. For participants who consent to the optional MRI: willingness to undergo MRI, e.g., is not claustrophobic, and has no contraindications to MRI. Exclusion Criteria: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will not be eligible to participate in this trial: 1. Is pregnant or breastfeeding at the Screening or Baseline Visits or planning pregnancy during the study. 2. Is at risk for suicide based on any of the following: 1. Had any suicidal ideation or behavior (including preparatory behavior) that required psychiatric hospitalization in the 3 months prior to screening. 2. Had more than 2 actual suicide attempts within the last 3 years, not including interrupted or aborted attempts, preparatory acts or behaviors, or non-suicidal self injurious behavior (as per C SSRS response). 3. Has any history of suicidal ideation and/or intent following initiation of a medication used for psychiatric symptoms or disorders. 4. Has any history of suicide-related hospitalization following initiation of a medication used for psychiatric symptoms or disorders. 3. Is taking any prohibited medication or cohort-specific restrictions (see cohort-specific appendices), is unable/unwilling to discontinue medications, or in the PI's judgment, cannot discontinue medications. Participants must agree to a washout period of at least 14 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, prior to the first dose of study intervention. Note, the half-life of the parent drug (not metabolites) should be used in this calculation. 4. In the 3 months prior to the Baseline Visit, has initiated or terminated individual or group PTSD specific psychotherapy (e.g., Eye Movement Desensitization \& Reprocessing, Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Stress Inoculation Training, Present Centered Therapy), or therapy is anticipated to conclude during the study. Completion of ≤2 sessions in the prior 3 months with no plans to continue is not exclusionary. Participants in stable trauma-focused or non-trauma-focused therapy must agree to continue treatment for the duration of participation in the study. 5. Has undergone or plans to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Note: participants who are currently undergoing stable hormone replacement therapy are eligible for inclusion in the study. 6. Meets DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association 2013) criteria for moderate or severe AUD or other SUDs, including cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics, or stimulants within 3 months of screening. Nicotine use disorder is allowed. 7. Has a positive screen for illicit drugs (excluding cannabis) or positive alcohol screen (either positive on qualitative test or above .04% on a quantitative test) at the Baseline Visit. 1. If the urine drug screen is positive at Screening (excluding cannabis), the participant will not immediately be excluded from participation in the study. The urine drug screen must be repeated at Baseline after at least 7 days since the initial test. If the urine drug screen is positive at Baseline (excluding cannabis), then the participant will be discontinued from the study. 2. If the urine alcohol screen is positive at Screening, the participant will not immediately be excluded from participation in the study. If the urine alcohol screen is also positive at Baseline, then the participant will be discontinued from the study. 8. Has a lifetime history or current symptoms of psychotic features, as determined by the MINI Psychotic Disorders and Mood Disorders with Psychotic Features screening questions. 9. Has a history of neoplastic disease or completion of treatment in the last 5 years, except for treated basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. 10. Has any clinically significant abnormal findings on the 12-lead ECG at the Screening Visit or Baseline Visit, such as: 1. Abnormal heart rhythm (such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, or torsade de pointes) 2. ECG with a QTc interval \>450 msec for males or \>470 msec for females (QT interval corrected with Fridericia correction \[QTcF\]) At Screening, eligibility will be based on the central ECG reading. At Baseline, eligibility will be based on the local ECG reading by a site investigator. 11. Has abnormal laboratory results at the Screening Visit: 1. serum creatinine \>1.5 mg/dL OR 2. estimated creatinine clearance of \<50 mL/min calculated by the Cockcroft and Gault formula. 12. Has clinically significant abnormal laboratory results at the Screening Visit that indicate impaired liver function: 1. ALT or AST \>2 × ULN 2. total bilirubin level \>1.5 × ULN (unless previously known Gilbert syndrome) 3. prolonged prothrombin time \>1.5 × ULN 13. Has a prior history of drug induced liver injury characterized by ALT or AST \>3 × ULN AND total bilirubin level \>2 × ULN without cholestasis (ie, ALP \<2 × ULN). 14. Has any other clinically significant laboratory result at Screening that could impact the participant's safety or participation in the study, as determined by the Site PI. 15. Has any other concurrent psychiatric or medical condition that would impact the participant's safety, ability to appropriately complete evaluations, or participation in the study, as determined by the Site PI. 16. Does not have a stable method of contact over the duration of the study. 17. Has participated in any interventional clinical trial or treatment with any investigational drug or other investigational intervention within 3 months or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, of screening. Note: Previous participation in an observational study within 3 months of screening is permitted. Note: Participants who are enrolled in the M-PACT, and who are eligible for re randomization, are permitted to remain in the study and receive alternative cohort intervention following a 14-day or 5 half-lives washout period, whichever is longer. The half-life of the parent drug (not metabolites) should be used in this calculation. 18. Is unavailable for the duration of the trial, unlikely to be compliant with the protocol, or deemed by the Site PI to be unsuitable for participation in the trial for any reason. 19. Systolic blood pressure \>140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure \>90 mm Hg or Systolic blood pressure \<90 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure \<50 mm Hg.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
9 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Advanced Discovery Research
Atlanta, Georgia, 30318, United States
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Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (ATAMMC):
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 22060-5285, United States
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Cincinnati Veteran's Affairs Medical Center
Fort Thomas, Kentucky, 41075, United States
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Homestead Associates in Research, Inc.
Miami, Florida, 33032, United States
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Madigan Army Medical Center
Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, 98433, United States
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Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC)
Tripler AMC, Hawaii, 96859, United States
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Upstate Clinical Research Associates, LLC
Williamsville, New York, 14221, United States
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Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMC)
Bethesda, Maryland, 20889-5632, United States
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Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center (WHASC)
San Antonio, Texas, 78236, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can training hospital staff in Trauma-Informed care make childbirth safer?
- Scientists probe brain's reward system in mental illness
- Can a mindfulness class help veterans with concussion and PTSD?
- Can MDMA plus therapy help veterans fight both PTSD and alcohol addiction?
- Can talk therapies quiet the trauma of violence?