Addition of Naltrexone to Methadone Taper

January 11, 2017 updated by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Place of Low-Dose Naltrexone in Opiate Detoxification

There is a continuing search for more effective opiate detoxification treatments. This study's purpose is to investigate the effects of adding very low doses of naltrexone to a methadone tapering treatment in opioid dependent individuals.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Although many different techniques for opiate detoxification exist, the search continues for more effective approaches to reduce the duration and discomfort associated with opioid withdrawal. It has been shown that very low doses of naltrexone administered in the presence of opiates has analgesic and dependency reducing properties. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of very low doses of naltrexone administered during a methadone tapering schedule for opiate detoxification. In addition, this study will compare the effectiveness of two different dose regimens of naltrexone.

Participants in this double-blind study will be recruited among opioid dependent individuals already enrolled in a 6-day inpatient opioid detoxification program. Participants will be already receiving standard treatment to control discomfort during a methadone tapering schedule. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. Two of the groups will be given naltrexone; Group 1 will receive 0.125 mg each day, and Group 2 will receive 0.250 mg each day. Group 3 will receive a placebo. Participants will be evaluated upon enrollment for opiate addiction severity. They will continue to be evaluated daily for signs of withdrawal and salivary cortisol. An additional evaluation and urine test will be completed 1 day following discharge. Daily evaluations will take 15 minutes to complete. Seven days following discharge, participants will be contacted for a 20-minute phone interview. During the phone interview, participants will schedule an appointment to provide a final urine specimen for the detection of drugs of abuse.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

174

Phase

  • Phase 2

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

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27704
        • Duke University

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 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Current DSM-IV diagnosis of opiate dependence
  • Reads and understands English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Serious medical disorders (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, acute or chronic active hepatitis, kidney failure, uncontrolled diabetes)
  • Psychiatric conditions that require intensive services (e.g., depression with suicidal ideation, psychosis)
  • Mental retardation or other disorder that might limit ability to give informed consent
  • Pregnant

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: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Group 1
Drug
Drug: Placebo comparator
1 capsule/day for 6 days
EXPERIMENTAL: 2
experimental
Drug: Naltrexone
low dose naltrexone in addition to daily methadone taper
EXPERIMENTAL: 3
experimental
Drug: Naltrexone
low dose naltrexone in addition to daily methadone taper

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Withdrawal intensity
Time Frame: 6 days
6 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Retention in treatment
Time Frame: 6 days
6 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Paolo Mannelli, M.D., Duke University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

April 1, 2005

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

July 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 23, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 25, 2005

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

August 26, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

January 12, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 11, 2017

Last Verified

August 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NIDA-15469-1
  • DPMC (Other Identifier: NIDA)
  • R21-15469-1

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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