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Heroin DependencePhase 1NCT00218530

Effectiveness of Naltrexone and Lofexidine in Treating Detoxified Heroin Addicts - 1

A Phase 1 study testing Lofexidine in people with Heroin Dependence, run by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Stress is one of the more common reasons cited by addicts for continual drug use and relapse. Treatment approaches that target both drug-induced and stress-induced relapse may prove to be more beneficial than targeting drug-induced relapse alone. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 100 years
Conditions the study is for
Heroin Dependence
What is being tested?
Lofexidine
How many people
0 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2003to Sep 2004
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 100 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Meets DSM-IV criteria for opiate dependence
  • Use of heroin at least 3 times per week during the 3 months prior to entering opiate detoxification
  • Documented positive urine toxicology test for opiates
  • Successful initiation on naltrexone treatment as indicated by stabilization on 50 mg of naltrexone once a day
  • Reads English

Who cannot join

  • Regular use of anticonvulsants, sedatives/hypnotics, prescription analgesics, antihypertensives (including clonidine), antirythmics, antiretroviral medications, and tricyclic antidepressants
  • Psychotic or otherwise severely psychiatrically disabled (e.g., suidical, homicidal, currently manic)
  • Abstinent from opiates for more than four weeks prior to naltrexone initiation
  • Any medical problems that might make naltrexone treatment unsafe, such as hepato-cellular injury as evidenced by abnormal liver enzyme tests (including SGOT, SGPT, and GGT levels greater than three times normal) and a history of cirrhosis
  • Hypotension with a resting blood pressure below 90/50 mm Hg
  • Pregnant, breastfeeding, or refusal to use a reliable form of contraception throughout the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Unit

    New Haven, Connecticut, 06511

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Naltrexone and Lofexidine in Detoxified Heroin Addicts

Stress is one of the more common reasons cited by addicts for continual drug use and relapse. Treatment approaches that target both drug-induced and stress-induced relapse may prove to be more beneficial than targeting drug-induced relapse alone. Lofexidine is a drug that reduces the physical symptoms of opiate withdrawal and may prove to have stress-reducing capabilites in drug addicts. The purpose of this study is to determine the maximal safe dose of lofexidine tolerated in naltrexone-treated heroin addicts and to find an optimal lofexidine induction schedule.

Read the detailed description

Stress is one of the more common reasons cited by addicts for continual drug use and relapse. Naltrexone treatment of opiate addicts suffers from high rates of drop-out and relapse. This may be a result of naltrexone's inability to reduce symptoms of stress during early recovery. Treatment approaches that target both drug-induced and stress-induced relapse may prove to be more beneficial than targeting drug-induced relapse alone. Lofexidine is a drug that reduces the physical symptoms of opiate withdrawal and may prove to have stress-reducing capabilities. The purpose of this study is to determine the maximal safe dose of lofexidine tolerated in naltrexone-treated opiate addicts and to find an optimal lofexidine induction schedule. The study will also assess any side effects that occur during a discontinuation phase of lofexidine.

This pilot study will last a total of 8 weeks. Recently detoxified opiate dependent participants who are eligible for naltrexone treatment will enter a 4-week single-blind dose tolerability phase, during which participants will receive naltrexone and 1 of 3 twice-daily lofexidine induction schedules. All participants will be required to remain in the clinic for 2 hours immediately following dosing in order to monitor vital signs and side effects. Study visits will occur three times each week, at which time naltrexone medication for self-administration will be handed out and participants will be evaluated in terms of tolerability to treatment. After the 4 weeks of treatment, a double-blind lofexidine detoxification phase using a 5-day taper will occur. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two maintenance-taper schedules. The first group will undergo a 5-day tapering, followed by a placebo for three weeks, followed by a 5-day tapering during Week 4. Withdrawal symptoms and side effects will be evaluated.

Being tested
Lofexidine
Medical subject headings
Heroin Dependence

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • LofexidineDrug

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Retention in treatment; measured throughout 8 weeks

  2. Frequency and amount of opiate use; measured weekly

  3. Stress levels; measured weekly

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Tolerability; measured throughout 8 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2003
  3. Study completionSep 2004

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Enrolment
0 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00218530
Sponsor's protocol ID
NIDA-18197-1
Other IDs
P50-18197-1, DPMC
Status last verified
Oct 2016
First submitted
16 Sep 2005
Last updated
12 Jan 2017
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Lofexidine in people with Heroin Dependence, run by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Retention in treatment; measured throughout 8 weeks. The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Jan 2017.

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