A Phase 3 interventional study of Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Capsules and Sunflower Lecithin Oil in Capsule in Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder, sponsored by McMaster University. Status unknown at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-02-14.
Sponsored by McMaster University · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
This proposed study aims to evaluate the efficacy of daily Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Capsules in treating symptoms of DSM-5 anxiety disorders, using a two-arm, 8-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adults aged 21-65 years. The study will also evaluate the relationship between inflammation, anxiety and CBD using biological markers as well as examine the neuro-cognitive effects of CBD treatment.
The study will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design comparing the efficacy and safety of flexibly dosed CBD Oil capsules versus placebo for the treatment of adults, aged 21 to 65 years with a primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) anxiety disorder: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Panic Disorder (PD), or agoraphobia. A total 50 participants (n=25/cell) who meet the inclusion criteria will be randomized to receive 1 of 2 treatments in a 1:1 ratio: CBD Oil Capsules or matching placebo, with the possibility of dose titration during this 8-week period. The outcomes of this research will make a significant contribution to enhance our current understanding of the effects of cannabis in anxiety disorders.
To be involved in this study, the study doctor will first check that the participant is qualified. This is called screening, and will involve a clinical assessment, physical exam and urine tests. This visit may take up to 3 hours to complete.
If the participant successfully completes screening the participant will start treatment in one of the two assigned treatment groups. Treatment is 8 weeks. Participants will come to the study clinic 6 times during the treatment phase of the study. Each visit will last 1 to 2 hours. Each visit will involve reporting any side effects that the participant may have experienced, completing questionnaires about mood and anxiety symptoms, sleep, overall functioning and alcohol and drug use. Participants will also be assessed by the study doctor. The first and last visits will also involve blood work and completing a number of tasks on the computer, which measure focus, attention and memory.
Each participant will be involved in the study for a maximum of 10 weeks. This includes the screening visit and follow-up visit.
517 studies on the registry are indexed under Generalized Anxiety Disorder; 124 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is below the median of 83 across 439 interventional studies indexed under Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Browse Generalized Anxiety Disorder studies →McMaster University is the lead sponsor of 741 studies on the registry; 127 are open to participants now.
Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (43%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Pure CBD in sunflower lecithin oil, flexibly dosed at 200-800 mg per day
Drug: Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Capsules
1-4 capsules daily
Drug: Sunflower Lecithin Oil in Capsule
200 mg CBD- titrated as tolerated up to a maximum 2 capsules twice daily (200 mg- 800 mg total dose) Start at 1 capsule/day (at bedtime) for one week and be titrated to 1 capsule twice/daily for one week. At the end of Week 2, dose may be titrated to 1 capsule in the morning and 2 capsules at bedtime; then at the end of Week 4, dose may be titrated to 2 capsules twice daily (the maximum of 800 mg/day total dose)
Start at 1 capsule/day (at bedtime) for one week and be titrated to 1 capsule twice/daily for one week. At the end of Week 2, dose may be titrated to 1 capsule in the morning and 2 capsules at bedtime; then at the end of Week 4, dose may be titrated to 2 capsules twice daily (the maximum of 800 mg/day total dose)
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
The 14-item HAM-A was developed to assess general anxiety symptoms in a clinical population and has proven sensitive to change with treatment. It is a clinician-rated measure and will be administered at each visit by a trained, blinded rater, using the Structured Interview Guide for the HAM-A. It has 14-items to rate the intensity of psychic and somatic anxiety on a 5-point severity scale. Each item ranging from 0 (not present) to 4 (very severe) are summed up to give a total possible score of 0 (not present) to 56 (very severe), where lower scores indicates less anxiety.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Clinical Global Impression - Severity (CGI-S)
The CGI-S is a clinician-rated instrument used to assess global severity of symptoms. The CGI-S ranges from 1 (normal, not ill) to 7 (among the most severely ill).
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Clinical Global Impression - Improvement (CGI-I)
The CGI-I is a clinician-rated instrument used to assess overall improvement of illness. The CGI-I ranges from 1 (very much improved) to 7 (very much worse).
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)
The GAD-7 is a self-reported questionnaire that measures the severity of various signs of GAD. It contains seven items with a 4-point scale (range: 0 to 3). The total possible score is ranged from 0 to 21, with higher scores representing greater severity of GAD.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale- Self Report (LSAS-SR)
The LSAS-SR is a 24 item scale that provides separate scores for fear and avoidance in social and performance situations with higher scores representing increased social anxiety. The LSAS-SR contains three total scores 1) total fear score (0-72), 2) total avoidance score (0-72) and total overall score (0-144).
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS)
The PAS is a measure of the severity of illness in patients with panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). It has 13 items with a 5-point scale (range: 0-4). The total possible score is ranged from 0 to 52, with higher scores representing increased severity of illness. It contains 5 sub-scales: panic attacks, agoraphobic avoidance, anticipatory anxiety, disability, and functional avoidance (health concerns).
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology (QIDS)
The QIDS is a self-report measure of depression. It contains 16 items with a 4-point scale (range: 0 to 3) which assess the severity of the nine diagnostic symptom criteria used in the DSM: Sleep disturbance, sad mood, decrease/increase in appetite/weight, concentration, self-criticism, suicidal ideation, interest, energy/fatigue, and psychomotor agitation/retardation. The total possible score is ranged from 0 to 27, with higher scores representing greater severity of depression.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
The SDS is a 3 question instrument designed to assess functional impairment associated with mental disorders in three domains: work impairment, social impairment, and impairment of family life or home responsibilities. Each sub-scale score ranges from 0 to 10 and a total disability score, calculated as the sum of scores for each question ranges from 0 to 30. Higher scores reflect greater impairment.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS 2.0)
The WHODAS 2.0 is a 36-item self-administered questionnaire that covers 6 domains of functioning, including: Cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along with people, life activities, participation. Each question ranges from 'none' to 'extreme or cannot do'. The scores assigned to each of the items - "none" (0), "mild" (1) "moderate" (2), "severe" (3) and "extreme" (4) - are summed to give a total score that ranges from 0 to 144, with higher scores representing a greater degree of functional limitation.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
The ISI has 7 questions with a 5-point score (range: 0 to 4). The total possible score is ranged from 0 to 28, with higher scores reflecting greater severity of sleep difficulty.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Marijuana Craving Questionnaire
The Marijuana Craving Questionnaire is a 47-item self-report instrument that assesses marijuana craving along four dimensions: compulsivity, emotionality, expectancy, and purposefulness. Each item is answered with a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R)
The OCI-R is a self-report scale for assessing symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It consists of 18 questions with a 5-point scale (range: 0 to 4). The possible range of scores is 0 to 72, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of the presence of OCD.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
PTSD Checklist (PCL-5)
The PCL-5 is a 20 item self-report measure that assesses symptoms of PTSD. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). The possible range of scores is 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ)
The DEQ assesses the extent to which participants 1) feel any substance effect(s), 2) feel high, 3) like the effects, 4) dislike the effects, and 5) want more of the substance using 100mm Visual Analog Scales.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist
The Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist has 22 items that assess mood, behavioural, and physical symptoms associated with marijuana withdrawal. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from 0 (none) to 3 (severe). A total score is obtained by summing each of the item totals (range 0 to 66). Higher scores indicated more severe symptoms associated with marijuana withdrawal.
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Shipley II: Verbal
Measures verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) - crystallized intelligence
Time frame: Baseline
Shipley II: Abstraction
Measures abstract intelligence quotient (IQ) - fluid intelligence
Time frame: Baseline
Digits Forward Test
Measures attention
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Digits Backward Test
Measures working memory
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Go/No-Go Test
Measures behavioural inhibition
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Monetary Choice Questionnaire
Measures impulsive decision making
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Probabilistic Choice Questionnaire
Measures risky decision making
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Trails A and B Task
Measures visual attention and switching
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
Measures short-term auditory-verbal memory
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Simple Visual Reaction Time Task
Measures reaction time
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Sustained Attention to Response Task
Measures sustained attention
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Experimental Drug Purchase Task
Measures drug abuse liability
Time frame: Week 8
Inflammatory Markers
Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ
Time frame: Change from baseline to week 8
Plan to share: No
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This study is status unknown, as verified in Feb 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Cannabidiol
Generalized Anxiety Disorder →