AddictionEarly Phase 1NCT05076370
Safety and Tolerability of Cannabidiol Among Persons With Opioid Use Disorder Receiving Methadone or Buprenorphine
A Early Phase 1 study testing CBD Day 1, CBD Day 2 and CBD Day 3 in people with Addiction, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The overarching goal of this study is to evaluate the potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunctive treatment for comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study investigating the dose-dependent safety and acute effects of CBD on… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Addiction
- What is being tested?
- CBD Day 1, CBD Day 2 and CBD Day 3
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 7 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 8 Dec 2021to 28 Jun 2024
- Phase
- Early Phase 1
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 70 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Men and women aged between 18 and 70 years old.
- Diagnosed with OUD and currently enrolled in methadone or buprenorphine maintenance treatment.
- Having chronic pain, uniformly operationalized as grade II (high-intensity) non- cancer pain for ≥ 6 months 49.
- Capable of providing informed consent in English.
- Compliant in opioid maintenance treatment and on a stable dose for four weeks or longer.
- Not meeting DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorders other than OUD or tobacco use disorder within the last 12 months.
- No current medical problems deemed contraindicated for participation by principal investigator.
- For women, not pregnant as determined by pregnancy screening; not breast-feeding; using acceptable birth control methods. Acceptable contraception for women includes oral contraceptives, contraceptive depot injections, contraceptive subdermal implants, intrauterine devices, or surgical contraception methods. Acceptable contraception for men includes condoms or surgical contraception methods.
Who cannot join
- Other current major psychiatric disorders deemed clinically unstable by the principal investigator, such as severe depression and/or active suicidal ideation.
- Having experienced major psychosocial stressors recently (≤ 6 weeks before enrollment), at the discretion of the principal investigator.
- Methadone dose under 60mg or over 100mg
- Buprenorphine over 24mg.
- Having received inpatient psychiatric treatment recently (≤ 60 days before enrollment).
- Candidates receiving products containing either THC or CBD will be excluded.
Show all 11Show fewer
- Current use regular use other prescription opioids, gabapentinoids (pregabalin, gabapentin), antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs), benzodiazepines, platelet inhibitors (e.g., clopidogrel, apixaban, ticagrelor), or NSAIDs.
- Current weight of less of 60 kg.
- Allergy to sesame seed oil, which is an ingredient of the CBD formulation used.
- Serious medical or neurological illness or treatment for a medical disorder that could interfere with study participation as determined by principal investigator.
- Participants who have elevation of liver enzymes (ALT and/or AST) 2x above the normal limit or higher.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Veteran Affairs Hospital
West Haven, Connecticut, 06516
About this study
Official title: Cannabidiol Pharmacotherapy for Comorbid Opioid Addiction and Chronic Pain
The overarching goal of this study is to evaluate the potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunctive treatment for comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study investigating the dose-dependent safety and acute effects of CBD on measures of pain and opioid craving in outpatients with OUD receiving methadone or buprenorphine.
Read the detailed description
An initial safety pilot phase will recruit six participants: three receiving treatment with methadone and three receiving treatment with buprenorphine. If the results of the pilot study support the safety of CBD administration in this clinical sample, the general study will recruit participants with comorbid OUD and chronic pain, with half the subjects receiving methadone and half receiving buprenorphine. Both sub-studies will enroll participants who do not currently require an inpatient hospitalization.
- Conditions
- Addiction
- Being tested
- CBD Day 1, CBD Day 2, CBD Day 3
- Medical subject headings
- Behavior, Addictive
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CBD Day 1Drug
CBD 400mg
CBD Day 2Drug
CBD 800mg
CBD Day 3Drug
CBD 1200mg
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| CBD 400mg | Active comparator | CBD 400mg Receives: Drug: CBD Day 1 |
| CBD 800mg | Active comparator | CBD 800mg Receives: Drug: CBD Day 2 |
| CBD 1200mg | Active comparator | CBD 1200mg Receives: Drug: CBD Day 3 |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Agitation Calmness Evaluation Scale (ACES)
The ACES consists of a single item that rates overall agitation and sedation of the participant at the time of evaluation, where 1 indicates marked agitation; 2: moderate agitation; 3: mild agitation; 4: normal behavior; 5: mild calmness; 6: moderate calmness; 7: marked calmness; 8: deep sleep; and 9: unarousable. Clinically significant sedation was a priori defined as an ACES score of 7 (marked calmness) or higher at any point during the session. A score was averaged across all time intervals.
Measured: Baseline (30 minutes before the administration of CBD), hourly for 4 hours after the administration of methadone (administered +210 minutes after CBD) and 3 hours after the administration of buprenorphine (administered +210 minutes after CBD)
Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE)
The MMSE is a 30-point scale ranging from 0 to 30 that measures five areas of cognitive function: orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language. Each scale is summed to compute a total score. The MMSE is used extensively in clinical and research settings to measure cognitive impairment. A score of 24 or higher is generally considered within the normal range, while lower scores suggest potential cognitive impairment. Scores are often interpreted as follows: 25-30 = normal cognition, 21-24 = mild impairment, 10-20 = moderate impairment, and below 10 = severe impairment.
Measured: Baseline (30 minutes before the administration of CBD), hourly for 4 hours after the administration of methadone (administered +210 after CBD) and 3 hours after the administration of buprenorphine (administered +210 minutes after CBD)
Systematic Assessment of Side Effects (SAFTEE)
The SAFTEE is a multi-symptom checklist that has been used successfully in our previous studies to assess and monitor any adverse events and possible side effects of study medications. It includes information regarding the severity of any presenting symptoms (0= none, 1= mild, 2= moderate, and 3= severe), as well as the course of action taken by the study staff in response. The SAFTEE was administered before the administration of CBD at baseline, (timepoint -30 minutes) and 4.5 hours after the administration of CBD (timepoint +240 minutes) during each test session. Data presented here is the number of participants that reported symptoms on SAFTEE.
Measured: baseline and 4.5 hours after the administration of CBD
Secondary outcomes (3)
Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST)- Threshold and Tolerance
Pain threshold and tolerance will be assessed using a comprehensive QST battery. This is a reliable, dynamic, and computerized method of quantifying distinct mechanisms of the pain experience. QST measures are sensitive to the effects of cannabinoids, important biomarkers of chronic pain, and predictors of the pain treatment response. Threshold: the temperature the participant first begins to feel pain (average pain threshold), and when the participant can no longer tolerate the stimuli (Tolerance). The temperature ranges from 37 degrees celsius to 50 degrees celsius. A lower temperature represents a lower pain threshold and a higher temperature represents a higher pain threshold. A lower temperature represents a lower pain tolerance and a higher temperature represents a higher pain tolerance.
Measured: baseline, 2 hours and 4 hours after the administration of CBD.
Change in Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM)
CPM indexes top-down pain inhibition, by leveraging the "pain inhibits pain phenomena". In CPM, a test stimulus is rated on a -100 to +100 Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain both alone and during a concurrent conditioning stimulus applied elsewhere on the body. The CPM Score is the difference between these two ratings.
CPM score is a Difference (Delta): Pain rating (test stimulus alone) - Pain rating (test stimulus with conditioning stimulus) Interpretation: Higher (more positive) values indicate greater pain inhibition.
Measured: Baseline (-30 minutes), 2 hours (+120 minutes), and 4 hours (+240 minutes) after the administration of CBD.
Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) Temporal Summation of Pain (TSP)
Pain will be assessed using a comprehensive QST battery. QST measures are sensitive to the effects of cannabinoids, important biomarkers of chronic pain, and predictors of the pain treatment response. TSP involves the repeated administration of noxious stimuli, indexing bottom-up pain facilitation. Therefore, TSP measures the increase in pain perception with repeated noxious stimuli, calculated as the area under the curve (AUC) of pain ratings over time during repeated stimulation.
Higher TSP scores indicate worse outcomes (greater pain facilitation/central sensitization), while lower TSP scores indicate better outcomes (less pain facilitation/central sensitization). The TSP AUC values represent the cumulative pain experience during repeated stimulation (VAS units*seconds), where larger values reflect greater temporal summation of pain, which is associated with central nervous system sensitization and chronic pain conditions.
Measured: Baseline, 2 hours and 4 hours after the administration of CBD.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Oct 2021
- Study start8 Dec 2021
- Primary completion28 Jun 2024
- Study completion28 Jun 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for AddictionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Yale UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Early Phase 1
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Initial safety pilot phase of 6 participants,(3 methadone and 3 on Buprenorphine) The general study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study investigating the dose-dependent safety and acute effects of CBD on measures of pain and opioid craving in outpatients with OUD receiving methadone or buprenorphine.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 7 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Yale University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Joao De Aquino, Yale University
- Investigators
- Joao De Aquino, M.D., Principal investigator, Yale University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05076370
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2000029286
- Other IDs
- 1K23DA052682-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 29 Sep 2021
- Last updated
- 26 Nov 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Nov 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Cannabidiol Pharmacotherapy for Comorbid Opioid Addiction and Chronic Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05076370
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2000029286
- Conditions
- Addiction
- Phase
- Early Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 7 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Yale UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Study start
- 8 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Jun 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Jun 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 13 Oct 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 26 Nov 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The overarching goal of this study is to evaluate the potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunctive treatment for comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study investigating the dose-dependent safety and acute effects of CBD on measures of pain and opioid craving in outpatients with OUD receiving methadone or buprenorphine.
Detailed description
An initial safety pilot phase will recruit six participants: three receiving treatment with methadone and three receiving treatment with buprenorphine. If the results of the pilot study support the safety of CBD administration in this clinical sample, the general study will recruit participants with comorbid OUD and chronic pain, with half the subjects receiving methadone and half receiving buprenorphine. Both sub-studies will enroll participants who do not currently require an inpatient hospitalization.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Initial safety pilot phase of 6 participants,(3 methadone and 3 on Buprenorphine) The general study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover human laboratory study investigating the dose-dependent safety and acute effects of CBD on measures of pain and opioid craving in outpatients with OUD receiving methadone or buprenorphine.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| CBD 400mg | Active comparator | Drug: CBD Day 1CBD 400mg |
| CBD 800mg | Active comparator | Drug: CBD Day 2CBD 800mg |
| CBD 1200mg | Active comparator | Drug: CBD Day 3CBD 1200mg |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Men and women aged between 18 and 70 years old.
- Diagnosed with OUD and currently enrolled in methadone or buprenorphine maintenance treatment.
- Having chronic pain, uniformly operationalized as grade II (high-intensity) non- cancer pain for ≥ 6 months 49.
- Capable of providing informed consent in English.
- Compliant in opioid maintenance treatment and on a stable dose for four weeks or longer.
Key exclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Other current major psychiatric disorders deemed clinically unstable by the principal investigator, such as severe depression and/or active suicidal ideation.
- Having experienced major psychosocial stressors recently (≤ 6 weeks before enrollment), at the discretion of the principal investigator.
- Methadone dose under 60mg or over 100mg
- Buprenorphine over 24mg.
- Having received inpatient psychiatric treatment recently (≤ 60 days before enrollment).
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CBD Day 1CBD 400mg | Drug | CBD 400mg |
| CBD Day 2CBD 800mg | Drug | CBD 800mg |
| CBD Day 3CBD 1200mg | Drug | CBD 1200mg |
Primary outcome
Agitation Calmness Evaluation Scale (ACES)
Time frame: Baseline (30 minutes before the administration of CBD), hourly for 4 hours after the administration of methadone (administered +210 minutes after CBD) and 3 hours after the administration of buprenorphine (administered +210 minutes after CBD)
The ACES consists of a single item that rates overall agitation and sedation of the participant at the time of evaluation, where 1 indicates marked agitation; 2: moderate agitation; 3: mild agitation; 4: normal behavior; 5: mild calmness; 6: moderate calmness; 7: marked calmness; 8: deep sleep; and 9: unarousable. Clinically significant sedation was a priori defined as an ACES score of 7 (marked calmness) or higher at any point during the session. A score was averaged across all time intervals.
Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE)
Time frame: Baseline (30 minutes before the administration of CBD), hourly for 4 hours after the administration of methadone (administered +210 after CBD) and 3 hours after the administration of buprenorphine (administered +210 minutes after CBD)
The MMSE is a 30-point scale ranging from 0 to 30 that measures five areas of cognitive function: orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language. Each scale is summed to compute a total score. The MMSE is used extensively in clinical and research settings to measure cognitive impairment. A score of 24 or higher is generally considered within the normal range, while lower scores suggest potential cognitive impairment. Scores are often interpreted as follows: 25-30 = normal cognition, 21-24 = mild impairment, 10-20 = moderate impairment, and below 10 = severe impairment.
Systematic Assessment of Side Effects (SAFTEE)
Time frame: baseline and 4.5 hours after the administration of CBD
The SAFTEE is a multi-symptom checklist that has been used successfully in our previous studies to assess and monitor any adverse events and possible side effects of study medications. It includes information regarding the severity of any presenting symptoms (0= none, 1= mild, 2= moderate, and 3= severe), as well as the course of action taken by the study staff in response. The SAFTEE was administered before the administration of CBD at baseline, (timepoint -30 minutes) and 4.5 hours after the administration of CBD (timepoint +240 minutes) during each test session. Data presented here is the number of participants that reported symptoms on SAFTEE.
3 secondary outcomes
Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST)- Threshold and Tolerance
Time frame: baseline, 2 hours and 4 hours after the administration of CBD.
Change in Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM)
Time frame: Baseline (-30 minutes), 2 hours (+120 minutes), and 4 hours (+240 minutes) after the administration of CBD.
Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) Temporal Summation of Pain (TSP)
Time frame: Baseline, 2 hours and 4 hours after the administration of CBD.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Nov 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Joao De Aquino, M.D. principal investigator
Yale University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Early Phase 1 study testing CBD Day 1, CBD Day 2 and CBD Day 3 in people with Addiction, run by Yale University 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 8 inclusion and 11 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 26 Nov 2025. 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?
Early Phase 1 (sometimes called Phase 0) studies give a very small amount of a treatment to a few people, mainly to see how the body handles it.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 26 Nov 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Agitation Calmness Evaluation Scale (ACES) (time frame: Baseline (30 minutes before the administration of CBD), hourly for 4 hours after the administration of methadone (administered +210 minutes after CBD) and 3 hours after the administration of buprenorphine (administered +210 minutes after CBD)). 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 26 Nov 2025.