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CompletedNCT01536925YHOUpdated Apr 5, 2018

Studies of Opioid Seeking Behavior: Yohimbine and Hydrocortisone Effects

An observational study in Heroin Dependence and Opioid-Related Disorders, sponsored by Wayne State University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-04-05.

Sponsored by Wayne State University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
21
Ages
18 Years to 55 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This research deals with behaviors that are part of opioid dependence. The purpose is to study the extent to which stress and other factors, including money and amount of work effort, affect opioid choice. Specifically, the investigators will examine the effects of three issues/factors. The first is how hard participants are willing to work to obtain an opioid drug; the second is how much opioid drug would participants choose instead of money; and the third factor is how much participant's opioid drug choices are influenced after they are administered the drugs yohimbine and hydrocortisone, both of which could produce stress-like symptoms.

Read the detailed description

Phase 1: Participants will first be an outpatient and must come to the Tolan Park Medical Building daily to receive buprenorphine doses. This phase will last at least 10 days or longer. Three times per week during the first two weeks (i.e., on 6 different days), participants will be asked to provide urine samples and to complete questionnaires that ask about opiate withdrawal symptoms.

Phase 2: Participants will then live on an inpatient research unit (located in Detroit Michigan) for at least 16 consecutive nights and possibly up to 18 consecutive nights. Participants will continue on the same dose of buprenorphine as in phase 1.

During this stay they will participate in a total of 11 experimental sessions. Participants will take part in multiple trials in which they have the opportunity to choose drug, hydromorphone, or money. Hydromorphone is a heroin-like opioid. During the first two test sessions, participants will receive a sample of the drug doses that can be chosen. Before each of the final 9 test sessions begin, participants will be given a capsule containing either different doses of the drug yohimbine or a placebo (blank). Yohimbine is a drug that has been shown to produce a "stress"-like response in humans. Then participants will be given a capsule that contains either different doses of the drug hydrocortisone or a placebo (blank). Hydrocortisone is also a drug that can produce a "stress"-like response in humans. Then participants will have the opportunity to choose either drug or money by using a computer to earn choices. Respiration rate, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure will be monitored throughout choice trials. Self-report questionnaires will be completed at different times during the study.

Phase 3: After participants have completed the experimental procedures, they will again come to the Tolan Park Medical Building daily to receive buprenorphine doses. The dose of buprenorphine will be gradually decreased so that they will eventually be free from medication. This will take three weeks. We will administer questionnaires and collect urine samples three times each week.

02

Conditions studied

  • Heroin Dependence
  • Opioid-Related Disorders

Keywords

  • Behavioral Economics
  • Drug self administration
  • Opioid
03

In context

Heroin Dependence

90 studies on the registry are indexed under Heroin Dependence; 1 is open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 21 is below the median of 30 across 17 observational studies indexed under Heroin Dependence.

Browse Heroin Dependence studies →

Lead sponsor

Wayne State University is the lead sponsor of 230 studies on the registry; 35 are open to participants now.

Of its 17 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (24%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 55 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Heroin dependent research volunteers

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Opioid dependent, as determined by structured clinical interview for (SCID) and Addiction Severity Index (ASI)
  • Positive urine test for opiates
  • Willing to use an adequate form of 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, , mandatory TB testing, and voluntary testing).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No candidate who has a current 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, or Benzodiazepines will not be excluded, but participants must provide an alcohol free breath specimen, and a benzodiazepine free urine sample.
  • 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), , 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 methods (self-report) will be excluded.
  • Candidates with injection phobia, or seeking treatment for opioid dependence will be excluded.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

DSM diagnostic criteria

The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
21 participants (actual)
06

Study locations

1 site
  • Wayne State University
    Detroit, Michigan 48201, United States
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Stoltman JJ, Woodcock EA, Lister JJ, Greenwald MK, Lundahl LH. Exploration of the telescoping effect among not-in-treatment, intensive heroin-using research volunteers. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Mar 1;148:217-20. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.010. Epub 2015 Jan 19. PubMed 25630964 ↗
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 5, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01536925
Responsible party
Mark Greenwald, PhD (Professor, Wayne State University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 22, 2012
Start date
Dec 2011
Primary completion
Apr 2017
Completion
Apr 2017
Last update
Apr 5, 2018

Study contacts

Mark Greenwald, PhD
principal investigator · Wayne State University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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