Reducing the Abuse of Opioids in Drug Users (NCT03837860) | Clinical Trial Compass
TerminatedEarly Phase 1
Reducing the Abuse of Opioids in Drug Users
Stopped: PI leaving institution
United States3 participantsStarted 2019-04-01
Plain-language summary
The consequences of prescription opioid abuse are serious and the number of deaths from unintended overdose have quadrupled over the last 15+ years. Opioid analgesics remain among the most commonly abused class of substances in the United States. Moreover, patients who take pain medications for legitimate reasons may develop an opioid use disorder (OUD), with as many as 1 in 4 patients becoming dependent on their pain medications. Because of changing access to prescription opioid analgesics due to an increasingly negative prescribing climate and changes in guidelines, patients often turn to heroin, with an estimated 1 in 15 pain patients trying heroin within 10 years. Pain is a symptom that can be severely debilitating and needs to be treated adequately to improve the quality of life. Clinicians, then, are in a proverbial "catch-22" situation whereby treating a patient's chronic pain also exposes them to medications with substantial abuse liability and overdose risk. In this proposal, a method aimed at reducing the abuse potential of prescription opioid medications, without altering their analgesic efficacy, is described.
The study team hypothesize that this can be accomplished by administering a fixed-dose-combination of an opioid with an atypical antipsychotic drug, in the same pill or capsule.
Who can participate
Age range
21 Years – 65 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion Criteria:
* Adult patients between 21 to 65 years of age, capable of understanding and providing consent in English, and capable of complying with the outcome instruments used.
* Recreational opioid use (i.e. defined as prescription opioid use for nontherapeutic purposes on at least 10 occasions within the previous year and at least once in the 12 weeks prior to screening)
* Reported tolerated doses to opioid medications
Exclusion Criteria:
* Currently receiving pharmacotherapy for psychiatric disorder, current suicide risk, or past history of major psychiatric disorder such as bipolar disorder/psychosis
* Presence of dementia
* Current neuroleptic medication in past 30 days
* Pregnancy
* Positive drug urine test for Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Methadone, and Buprenorphine.
* Subjects with a prolonged QT interval greater than 430ms (i.e. QTc \>430ms)
* Subjects with a heart rate of less than 60 or greater than 100bpm will be assessed by a physician for symptomatic bradycardia/tachycardia and eligibility determined on a case-by-case basis
* Subjects with serum potassium and/or magnesium outside of normal range of our institutional laboratory within the past three months from time of screening.
* Subjects who appears intoxicated on the day of study visit by an on-site physician.
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Change in Bipolar Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of Drug Likability
Timeframe: Study visit 2 to study visit 6, an average of 10 days
Trial details
NCT IDNCT03837860
SponsorThe University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio