Effects of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Dose on Experimental Stress Reactivity and Opioid Abstinence (BOS)

November 6, 2020 updated by: Mark Greenwald, PhD, Wayne State University

Biobehavioral Studies of Opioid Seeking: Effects of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Dose on Experimental Stress Reactivity and Opioid Abstinence

This research deals with behaviors that are part of opioid dependence. The purpose is to study how stress and medication dose can affect opioid drug use.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

If participants meet all the criteria, their involvement in the study (Phases 1 and 2 described below) will last for 10-13 weeks. Participants will be asked to stay at the research site for a minimum of 2 nights on 4 separate weeks and will have 22 office visits During that time, participants can't leave the unit unescorted or have visitors.

Participants will receive a medication called Buprenorphine/Naloxone. Buprenorphine/Naloxone is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid addiction, and is a safe and effective alternative to methadone. Participants will receive this medication every day. When participants are not living on the inpatient unit they will come to the research clinic every day to receive the medication.

On Day 1, one single 1-mL (0.2 teaspoon) blood sample will be collected to assess the effect of the Buprenorphine/Naloxone medication dose on gene expression pattern.

On each day of admission (once on weeks 3, 5 and 7), a single 1-mL (0.2 teaspoon) blood sample will be collected to assess the effect of the buprenorphine/naloxone medication dose on the participant's gene expression pattern.

On the 8 days while participants are an inpatient they will participate in experimental sessions that involve drug administration. On some days participants will receive morphine and on some days participants will receive oral medications called yohimbine and hydrocortisone that will be used to study stress responses. Each afternoon study staff will collect one blood sample (10 mL or 2 teaspoons) from a vein in the participant's arm; these samples will be used to measure biological signals of stress.

At the end of the study participants will be detoxified from the Buprenorphine/Naloxone medication over a 3-week outpatient period.

Study participants will be scheduled for one separate in-person visit at 1 month after week 11. At this follow-up visit participants will be asked to provide a urine sample and to complete questionnaires that ask about drug craving and use, withdrawal symptoms, risky situations for drug use, coping with stress, and consequences experienced from using drugs or being abstinent.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

26

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Kansas
      • Overland Park, Kansas, United States, 66212
        • Vince and Associates

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Opioid dependent, as determined by structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and Addiction Severity Index (ASI)
  • Positive urine test for opiates
  • Willing to use an adequate form of contraception for the duration of the study.
  • Reads and writes English
  • Participants must be in generally good health to be eligible. All candidates will receive a routine medical exam (history and physical) with standard laboratory tests (including blood and urine samples, EKG, mandatory TB testing, and voluntary HIV testing).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No candidate who has a current DSM-IV Axis I disorder other than Drug Dependence or a history of serious psychiatric problems (e.g. psychosis, bipolar or major depression) will be allowed to participate.
  • Candidates meeting criteria for opioid or nicotine dependence will not be excluded, but those with other Substance Dependence disorders will be excluded. Those with Abuse of Alcohol, Cannabis, Cocaine, will not be excluded, but participants must provide an alcohol free breath specimen.
  • No candidate with medical (neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary or systemic) disorders will be allowed to participate. This will be determined with history and physical exam, standard laboratory testing (blood and urine), EKG, and TB tests (to avoid transmitting this communicable disease on the residential unit or in the laboratory).
  • Candidates with evidence of cognitive impairment (based on reading ability and comprehension, will be excluded.
  • Female candidates who are pregnant (urine pregnancy test), lactating, or not using adequate birth control methods (self-report) will be excluded.
  • Candidates with injection phobia, or seeking treatment for opioid dependence will be excluded.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Extended-Release Morphine + placebo stressor
Participants will be maintained on extended-release morphine (dose tailored to the individual, based on pre-experimental opioid use amount), in three divided daily doses. The placebo stressor will be administered on one day.
Dose (tailored to each participant based on his/her pre-experimental opioid use amount) is administered in 3 divided daily doses.
Lactose
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone low dose + placebo stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 1.4/0.36 mg/day. The placebo stressor will be administered on one day.
Lactose
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 1.4/0.36 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone moderate dose + placebo stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 4.2/1.08 mg/day. The placebo stressor will be administered on one day.
Lactose
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 4.2/1.08 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone high dose + placebo stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 12.8/3.16 mg/day. The placebo stressor will be administered on one day.
Lactose
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 12.8/3.16 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Experimental: Extended-Release Morphine + active stressor
Participants will be maintained on extended-release morphine (dose tailored to the individual, based on pre-experimental opioid use amount), in three divided daily doses. Yohimbine 60mg powder + Hydrocortisone (Cortef™) 20mg tablet administered on one day.
Dose (tailored to each participant based on his/her pre-experimental opioid use amount) is administered in 3 divided daily doses.
Yohimbine hydrochloride 60mg + Hydrocortisone 20mg tablet
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone low dose + active stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 1.4/0.36 mg/day. The placebo stressor will be administered on one day. Yohimbine 60mg powder + Hydrocortisone (Cortef™) 20mg tablet administered on one day.
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 1.4/0.36 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Yohimbine hydrochloride 60mg + Hydrocortisone 20mg tablet
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone moderate dose + active stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 4.2/1.08 mg/day. Yohimbine 60mg powder + Hydrocortisone (Cortef™) 20mg tablet administered on one day.
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 4.2/1.08 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Yohimbine hydrochloride 60mg + Hydrocortisone 20mg tablet
Experimental: Buprenorphine/Naloxone high dose + active stressor
Participants will be maintained on Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Zubsolv™) sublingual tablet doses of 12.8/3.16 mg/day. Yohimbine 60mg powder + Hydrocortisone (Cortef™) 20mg tablet administered on one day.
Buprenorphine/Naloxone dose of 12.8/3.16 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Zubsolv™ sublingual tablet
Yohimbine hydrochloride 60mg + Hydrocortisone 20mg tablet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Opioid price-inelasticity (economic demand)
Time Frame: measured once (end of session) in each of the 8 experimental sessions over 7 weeks
demand intensity (L) and demand elasticity (a) on hypothetical drug purchasing task
measured once (end of session) in each of the 8 experimental sessions over 7 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Opioid Symptom Questionnaire: Agonist symptoms
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Total opioid agonist symptom score (16 items, each scored on 0-4 scale, for a scale score range of 0-64, with higher scores indicating higher opioid agonist symptoms)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Opioid Symptom Questionnaire: Withdrawal symptoms
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Total opioid withdrawal symptom score (16 items, each scored on 0-4 scale, for a scale score range of 0-64, with higher scores indicating higher withdrawal symptoms)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ratings
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
VAS ratings will measure "liking", "good drug effect," "bad drug effect," "stimulated," "sedated", "[preferred opioid] craving", and "cigarette craving". Each VAS is scored from 0 (not at all) to 100 (extremely).
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Profile of Mood States (POMS)
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
72-item POMS questionnaire, which has several subscale scores
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Blood pressure
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Systolic/diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Heart rate
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Heart rate (beats/min)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Pupil diameter
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Pupil diameter (mm) measured with digital pupillometer
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline 0930, 1030, 1145, 1230, 1300, 1330, 1400, 1430, 1500, and 1600.
Plasma noradrenaline level
Time Frame: Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Plasma noradrenaline level (µg/ml)
Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Plasma BDNF level (µg/ml)
Time Frame: Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor level (pg/ml)
Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Plasma IL-1Ra level (µg/ml)
Time Frame: Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Plasma interleukin 1Ra level (pg/ml)
Measured once per session at 2-hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions
Saliva cortisol level
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions.
Saliva cortisol level (µg/dL)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions.
Saliva alpha-amylase level
Time Frame: Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions.
Saliva alpha-amylase level (U/dL)
Within-session change is being assessed, in each of 8 sessions over 7 weeks. Within-session measurements at baseline, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 hours post Yohimbine in each of the 8 experimental sessions.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 16, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 5, 2017

First Posted (Estimate)

January 10, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 10, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2020

Last Verified

November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BOS-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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