Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

NCT number NCT01335789
Other study ID # 20274
Secondary ID
Status Completed
Phase N/A
First received April 8, 2011
Last updated December 10, 2015
Start date March 2011
Est. completion date July 2012

Study information

Verified date December 2015
Source Medical University of South Carolina
Contact n/a
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority United States: Food and Drug Administration
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how people who frequently use marijuana respond to a stressful task, and if a medication (oxytocin) affects this response.


Description:

Stress is commonly associated with drug craving and relapse in substance-dependent individuals. Several studies indicate that hypothalamic neuropeptides may mediate behavioral response to stress. For example, preclinical and clinical investigations have indicated that the neuropeptide oxytocin exerts anxiolytic effects in stress paradigms. Several studies have indicated that oxytocin promotes trust, social bonding, and calmness; however, little is known about the potential anxiolytic affects of oxytocin in marijuana-dependent individuals. A preclinical study investigating the effects and mechanism of lithium on cannabinoid withdrawal in rats had positive findings, with increasing oxytocin levels hypothesized to moderate this effect (Cui et al, 2001). Given the anxiolytic nature of oxytocin, it may have a therapeutic role in ameliorating the negative affect commonly observed prior to relapse in marijuana-dependent individuals, as well as the anxiety associated with marijuana withdrawal. This pilot protocol will provide important preliminary data on the effect of oxytocin on stress in marijuana-dependent individuals.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Completed
Enrollment 16
Est. completion date July 2012
Est. primary completion date July 2012
Accepts healthy volunteers No
Gender Both
Age group 18 Years to 65 Years
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria:

- Subjects must be able to provide informed consent and function at an intellectual level sufficient to allow accurate completion of all assessment instruments.

- Subjects must meet DSM-IV criteria for current marijuana dependence (within the past three months). While individuals may also meet criteria for abuse of other substances, they must identify marijuana as their primary substance of abuse and must not meet criteria for dependence on any other substance (except nicotine) within the last 60 days.

- Subjects must consent to remain abstinent from all drugs of abuse (except nicotine and marijuana) for a three-day period immediately prior to the CTRC admission. Subjects must abstain from marijuana for 24 hours prior to testing. By restricting marijuana use as proposed, subjects should not be under the acute effects of marijuana, and also may be experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms, the measurement of which is one of the outcome variables being tested.

- Subjects must consent to random assignment.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Women who are pregnant, nursing or of childbearing potential and not practicing an effective means of birth control.

- Subjects with evidence of or a history of significant hematological, endocrine, cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, or neurological disease including diabetes, as these conditions may affect physiological/subjective responses.

- Subjects with Addison's disease, Cushing's disease or other diseases of the adrenal cortex likely to affect hormonal/neuroendocrine status.

- Subjects with a history of or current psychotic disorder or bipolar affective disorder as these may interfere with subjective measurements.

- Subjects with current major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder as these disorders are associated with characteristic changes in stress response.

- Subjects receiving synthetic glucocorticoid therapy, any exogenous steroid therapy, or treatment with other agents that interfere with hormonal measurements within one month of test session.

- Subjects taking any psychotropic medications, including SRI's or other antidepressants, opiates or opiate antagonists because these may affect test response.

- Subjects with any acute illness or fever. Individuals who otherwise meet study criteria will be rescheduled for evaluation for participation.

- Subjects who are obese (³ 20% over ideal weight) as this may interfere with hormonal status.

- Subjects who are unwilling or unable to maintain abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse (except nicotine) for three days prior to the stress task procedure.

- Subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence (other than nicotine or marijuana) within the past 60 days.

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Drug:
Oxytocin
40 IUs
Saline
40 IUs

Locations

Country Name City State
United States Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Medical University of South Carolina

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Stress (as Measured by Cortisol) Salivary cortisol samples were collected via passive drool to provide empirical assessment of stress reactivity. Reported here is salivary cortisol level 5 minutes following Trier Social Stress Task exposure (approximately 60 minutes post study drug/placebo administration). Trier Social Stress Task is a psychosocial laboratory stress task in which subjects deliver a speech and perform a math problem in front of a stranger audience. 5 minutes following Trier Social Stress Task completion No
Primary Stress (as Measured by Subjective Report) Subjective report of stress was measured using a 0-10 Likert Scale (0=not at all, 10=extremely). Reported here is subjective stress level 5 minutes following exposure to the Trier Social Stress Task (approximately 60 minutes post study drug/placebo administration). Trier Social Stress Task is a psychosocial laboratory stress task in which subjects deliver a speech and perform a math problem in front of a stranger audience. 5 minutes following Trier Social Stress Task completion No
Secondary Craving (as Measured by the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire) The MCQ is intended to measure marijuana craving in adults. It measures symptoms on four subscales: expectancy, purposefulness, emotionality, and compulsivity. The scale rates individual items from 1-7 with a composite scoring range of 12-84 and possible subscale scoring range of 3-21. Reported here is MCQ composite score 5 minutes following Trier Social Stress Task exposure (approximately 60 minutes post study drug/placebo administration). Trier Social Stress Task is a psychosocial laboratory stress task in which subjects deliver a speech and perform a math problem in front of a stranger audience. 5 minutes following Trier Social Stress Task completion No
See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Active, not recruiting NCT00875836 - Buspirone Treatment for Marijuana Dependence Phase 4
Completed NCT00893269 - The Effect of Marijuana and Prescription Medications in Mood, Performance and Sleep Phase 1
Completed NCT00490269 - Ph1 Marinol Interaction Study - Part 2 - 1 Phase 1
Completed NCT02579421 - Hormones and Reduction in Co-users of Marijuana and Nicotine N/A
Terminated NCT01598896 - Combination of Dronabinol and Clonidine for Cannabis Dependence in Patients With Schizophrenia Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT00373295 - Effect of Baclofen on Marijuana Withdrawal and Relapse Phase 2
Active, not recruiting NCT01827332 - Effect of Oxytocin on Craving and Therapy Response N/A
Terminated NCT00438139 - Ph1 Marinol Interaction Study - Part 1 - 1 Phase 1
Completed NCT02955329 - Vaping THC From Electronic Cigarettes Phase 3
Completed NCT02439814 - Pregnenolone and Marijuana Dependence Phase 2
Completed NCT01039415 - Attempts to Stop/Reduce Marijuana Among Dependent Users N/A
Completed NCT01347762 - Nabilone for Cannabis Dependence: A Pilot Study Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT00270803 - The Effects of Marijuana on Orientation and Motor Coordination and Brain Metabolism in Regular Smokers of Marijuana N/A
Completed NCT01020019 - Combined Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Dependency Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT02030665 - Marijuana Treatment Project 4 N/A
Completed NCT00107588 - Marijuana Treatment Project - 3 N/A
Completed NCT02011516 - Baclofen Effects on Marijuana Dependence Phase 2
Recruiting NCT00598052 - Treatment of Marijuana Withdrawal Syndrome Using Escitalopram and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy N/A
Completed NCT00374127 - Comparison Between Marijuana Smoked in Cigarette Paper Versus Cigar Paper Phase 2
Completed NCT00350649 - Maximizing the Efficacy of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Contingency Management Phase 2