The Study of Antidepressants in Parkinson's disease

The Study of Antidepressants in Parkinson's disease ("SAD-PD") is an NIH-funded, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the antidepressant medications Paxil CR and Effexor XR. 228 patients with PD and depression will be enrolled among 15 different University Centers in the U.S. and Canada. This study will provide important information to guide PD patients and their doctors in the appropriate treatment of depression. Despite the fact that almost 50% of patients with PD suffer from depression, the effects of antidepressant medications in PD have not been sufficiently studied. This clinical trial will determine whether or not these medications are effective in alleviating the symptoms of depression in PD, how well tolerated these medications are in patients with PD and whether or not these medications affect parkinsonian motor function. To participate in the study, individuals must be aged 30 or over, have Parkinson's disease and experience depressive symptoms such as sadness, decreased energy, and problems sleeping. Each participant will be in the study for approximately 14 weeks and they will make 7 clinic visits.

Locations of study sites:

Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY-(518) 452-0914

Duke University, Durham, NC-(919) 668-3647

Emory University, Atlanta, GA-(404) 728-6944

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD-(410) 614-1242

McGill University, Verdun, Quebec, Canada-(514) 766-2010

Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, RI-(401) 729-3472

North Shore University, Long Island, NY-(516) 562-2437

Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR-(503) 494-1382

University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD-(410) 328-7817

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA-(215) 829-2365

University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR-(787)754-0101, ext 3193

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY-(585) 341-7500

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA-(323) 442-6206

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA-(434) 982-4363

Washington University, St. Louis, MO-(314) 362-6514

For more information, contact Kori LaDonna, Research Assistant at the University of Rochester, 585-275-0862 or e-mail her at Kori_LaDonna@URMC.Rochester.edu .