NCT06435520

Brief Summary

Many individuals with insomnia seek treatment in primary care settings, where they often receive prescription hypnotic medications as their first and sometimes only treatment. However, extended use of these medications can lead to reliance and increased health risks, such as falls and cognitive impairments. While evidence-based approaches like physician-supervised medication tapering exist, they're not widely available in primary care. Most primary care providers are willing to explore non-drug treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI), but accessing such treatments can be challenging outside of specialized sleep centers. This gap between research and practice underscores the need for cost-effective interventions to manage insomnia and help patients reduce their reliance on hypnotics in primary care. In response to this need, the project aims to conduct a large randomized trial comparing a combined digital CBT (dCBTI) and medication tapering intervention with medication tapering alone. We'll recruit 430 patients reliant on hypnotics from 8-10 primary care clinics affiliated with the University of Colorado Medical School. The main goal is to assess the effectiveness of dCBTI+SMT compared to SMT alone in reducing hypnotic use and improving insomnia symptoms. Additionally, we'll evaluate factors affecting the adoption and implementation of these interventions at the patient, provider, and system levels. This information will inform future implementation strategies to disseminate effective treatments in primary care. Furthermore, we'll gather data to identify which patients benefit most from dCBTI+SMT. Overall, this study will provide valuable insights into the feasibility, clinical utility, and acceptability of these interventions in managing insomnia and reducing reliance on hypnotic medications in primary care. Ultimately, this project represents a crucial first step toward making accessible and cost-effective strategies available to improve the quality of life for millions of chronic users of sleep aids.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
430

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_4

Timeline
39mo left

Started Jan 2025

Longer than P75 for phase_4

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress30%
Jan 2025Jun 2029

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 15, 2024

Completed
15 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 30, 2024

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 1, 2025

Completed
3.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2028

Expected
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 30, 2029

Last Updated

January 23, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

3.5 years

First QC Date

May 15, 2024

Last Update Submit

January 22, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Hypnotic discontinuation rates

    Rates of successful hypnotic discontinuation among participants

    Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation

  • Insomnia remission rates

    Rates of insomnia remission among participants

    Post-treatment at weeks 22 and 49 of participation

Study Arms (2)

Digital cognitive behavioral therapy combined with structured medication tapering

EXPERIMENTAL

dCBTI delivered in tandem with SMT during intervention phase.

Behavioral: Digital Cognitive Behavioral TherapyBehavioral: Structured Medication Tapering

Structured medication tapering alone

EXPERIMENTAL

Structured medication tapering delivered alone with general sleep hygiene information.

Behavioral: Structured Medication Tapering

Interventions

Adaptive cloud-based software delivering cognitive behavioral therapy tailored to the needs of the individual patient.

Also known as: dCBTI, Sleepio
Digital cognitive behavioral therapy combined with structured medication tapering

A structured tapering of hypnotic (or other) medication to promote successful discontinuation by patients seeking to discontinue use.

Also known as: SMT
Digital cognitive behavioral therapy combined with structured medication taperingStructured medication tapering alone

Eligibility Criteria

Age21 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • a history of extended (\> 6 consecutive months) and frequent (\>5 nights/week on average) use of benzodiazepine (BZD) or non-BZD hypnotic medications;
  • a desire to decrease/eliminate hypnotic use;
  • a history of insomnia that meets DSM-560 criteria for insomnia disorder; and
  • willingness to provide written informed consent to participate.

You may not qualify if:

  • a lifetime diagnosis of any psychotic disorder, suicide attempts, or bipolar disorder;
  • presence of an unstable, untreated, or terminal major medical or psychiatric disorder;
  • alcohol or drug abuse within the past year;
  • current use of a BZD for another disorder in addition to insomnia (e.g., seizure disorder, restless leg syndrome, anxiety disorder);
  • pregnancy;
  • significant cognitive impairment as suggested by a score of ≤ 24 on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE);
  • current use of medications known to cause insomnia (e.g., high dose corticosteroids);
  • untreated comorbid sleep disorders;
  • use of a sedating antidepressant or antipsychotic medication solely for sleep; and
  • consuming \>2 alcoholic beverages/day ≥5 times/week or any use of marijuana ≥5 times/week.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

National Jewish Health

Denver, Colorado, 80206, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, IntrinsicDyssomniasSleep Wake DisordersNervous System DiseasesMental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

RJ Johnson, MA

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Randomized trial to compare the combined digital cognitive behavioral therapy (dCBTI) / structured medication taper (SMT) intervention, to the SMT intervention delivered alone for producing hypnotic discontinuation and insomnia symptom improvement.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 15, 2024

First Posted

May 30, 2024

Study Start

January 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2029

Last Updated

January 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Not planned.

Locations