Trial of Zolpidem for Sleep in Children With Autism

NCT ID: NCT05540574

Last Updated: 2025-11-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

26 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-08-09

Study Completion Date

2028-04-30

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of zolpidem on sleep in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Zolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine GABAa receptor agonist drug that acts as a hypnotic. To accomplish this, the investigators will use a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover 8-week study design to examine the effect of zolpidem on sleep physiology as assessed by polysomnography (PSG), actigraphy, circadian rhythm, and clinical measures.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

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zolpidem sleep clinical trial autism

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Zolpidem, then Placebo

Participants will first receive Zolpidem for a 4-week period. A 5 mg dose of Zolpidem will be given at bedtime for one week and then will increase to 10 mg if needed and if well tolerated.

Participants will then receive Placebo (fake tablet) for a 4-week period. A 5 mg dose of matching Placebo will be given at bedtime for one week and then will increase to 10 mg if needed and if well tolerated.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Zolpidem

Intervention Type DRUG

5mg (and up to10mg) Diphenhydramine given orally

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Matching Placebo given orally

Placebo, then Zolpidem

Participants will first receive Placebo (fake tablet) for a 4-week period. A 5 mg dose of matching Placebo will be given at bedtime for one week and then will increase to 10 mg if needed and if well tolerated.

Participants will then receive Zolpidem for a 4-week period. A 5 mg dose of Zolpidem will be given at bedtime for one week and then will increase to 10 mg if needed and if well tolerated.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Zolpidem

Intervention Type DRUG

5mg (and up to10mg) Diphenhydramine given orally

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Matching Placebo given orally

Interventions

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Zolpidem

5mg (and up to10mg) Diphenhydramine given orally

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo

Matching Placebo given orally

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Ambien

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

Participants will meet the following

* Outpatients between 8 and 17 years of age with only 12- 17 years of age at time of consent during year 1
* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM-5) criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on the basis of clinical evaluation, confirmed with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Ed (ADOS-2)
* Males and females
* Availability of polysomnography (PSG) and/or actigraphy data
* Sleep disturbances as assessed using Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) with a score of 41 or higher and sleep efficiency of 85% or less and/or total sleep time less than 7 hours and/or wake after sleep onset of more than 30 minutes as measured by polysomnography (PSG) or actigraphy.
* care provider who can reliably bring participant to clinic visits, provide trustworthy ratings, and interacts with participant on a regular basis
* stable medications for at least 2 weeks, with the exception of Prozac which is required to be stable for at least 4 weeks
* no planned changes in psychosocial and biomedical interventions during the trial
* willingness to provide additional saliva samples and participate in key study procedures (i.e., safety measurements every visit, PSG at weeks 4 and 8, and wear the actigraphy watch for 2 weeks before the beginning of trial as well as during the 8 weeks of the trial)
* requirement of dual protection contraception use in females who are sexually active and are of childbearing potential. Dual use contraceptive methods involve the use of both a hormonal method (oral contraceptives, long-acting reversible contraceptives, etc.) and a barrier method (condoms).

Exclusion Criteria

Participants will be excluded if one or more of the following is met

* active suicidal ideation or DSM-5 diagnosis of severe depression, substance use disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic disorder
* unstable medical problems: migraine, asthma, seizure disorder, significant physical illness (e.g., anaphylaxis, serious liver, renal, or cardiac pathology) and hepatic insufficiency
* evidence of a metabolic, or infectious etiology for the participant's autism on the basis of medical history, neurologic history, and available tests for inborn errors of metabolism;
* pregnant or sexually active females not using a reliable method of contraception (urinary tests for pregnancy will be employed in this study)
* individuals taking beta-blockers (local or systemic), benzodiazepines, antiepileptic medications, melatonin, antihistamines and antidepressants
* history of hypersensitivity to zolpidem
* history of severe side effects from zolpidem
* history of adequate trial of zolpidem
* current use of any medications known to interact with zolpidem such as medications inhibiting CYP3A4 and CYP1A2
* history of complex sleep-related behaviors
* individuals using alcohol, marijuana and other substances.
Minimum Eligible Age

8 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

17 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Stanford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Antonio Hardan

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Antonio Y. Hardan, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Stanford University

Locations

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Stanford University

Stanford, California, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Ryan Villacrucis

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (650) 736-1235

Email: [email protected]

Robin Libove, BS

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (650) 736-1235

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Ryan Villacrucis

Role: primary

Robin Libove, BS

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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1P50HD109861

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IRB-67221

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id