ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06323837MIRROMUpdated Jul 2, 2026

Mirtazapine for the Treatment of Methamphetamine Use in Opioid Use Disorder Patients Receiving Medication Assisted Treatment

A Phase 2 interventional study of Mirtazapine and Placebo in Stimulant Use Disorder, sponsored by Washington State University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-02.

Sponsored by Washington State University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2024; still recruiting 2 years 4 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This project will evaluate the ability of Mirtazapine (MZP), a pharmacologically unique medication with a growing body of evidence to support its efficacy and safety for the treatment of methamphetamine (MA) use among medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) patients, to significantly decrease MA use and related health-impairing behaviors. MZP has already successfully been used in the treatment of methamphetamine (detailed further below and in the Appendices).

The investigators hypothesize that those assigned to the MZP plus treatment as usual (TAU) MZP+TAU arm will demonstrate significantly increased rates of biochemically verified abstinence from MA and other substances of abuse and experience improvements in health impairing behaviors relative to the placebo (PLO)+TAU arm across the 10-week treatment and follow-up periods.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stimulant Use Disorder
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Washington State University is the lead sponsor of 83 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.

Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (57%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

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

  • Enrollment at medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment at Oregon Recovery \& Treatment Center/clinics in Spokane, WA.
  • Verification of a DSM-5104 diagnosis of an methamphetamine (MA) use disorder (i.e. mild, moderate, or severe),
  • Aged 18+ years,
  • Ability to provide written ,
  • Demonstration of 78% adherence rate during the induction period and
  • Provision of at least one MA positive urinalysis at baseline or during induction.
  • Baseline complete blood cell count (CBC), total protein, albumin, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, BUN, and electrolytes without abnormalities as determined by clinician in conjunction with symptoms, physical exam, and medical history.
  • No current acute illness requiring prolonged medical care.
  • No serious chronic illnesses that are likely to progress clinically during trial participation.
  • Vital signs are within the normal ranges (i.e., Blood pressure: 90/60 mm Hg to 120/80 mm Hg; breathing: 12-18 breaths per minute; pulse: 60-100 beats per minute; temperature: 97.8 - 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to demonstrate competency to provide because of cognitive or psychiatric disorders or limited English proficiency,
  • Prior diagnosis of dementia,
  • Medically or psychiatrically unsafe to participate as determined by Dr. Layton (Medical Director),
  • Documented suicide attempt in the past 30 days and/or serious suicide intention or plan as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for (SCID-5; clinical trials version)105
  • Suicide attempt in the last 2 years
  • Moderate or severe liver disease (, ALT, and total >= 5 times ),
  • Impaired renal function (estimated \<40 ml/min),
  • Current severe cocaine, amphetamine, or alcohol use disorder as defined by DSM-5 criteria which Drs Layton and McPherson deem their participation as unsafe.
  • History of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder, as determined by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID,
  • Currently taking 1) any type of opioid use disorder medication other than methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone, or 2) phenytoin, carbamazepine, or another inducer of hepatic metabolism (such as rifampicin) and CYP enzyme inhibitor cimetidine.
  • Taking an anti-depressant medication within the past 30 days, including mirtazapine or a monoamine oxidase inhibitor,
  • Prescribed MZP in the least year, or
  • History of violent criminal behavior or being on parole,.
  • Currently pregnant or intending to become pregnant,.
  • Final determination of eligibility will be made by Dr. Layton in consultation with the PI.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

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.

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.

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.

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.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    MZP+TAU

    Mirtazapine + Treatment as Usual

    Drug: Mirtazapine

  • Placebo comparator
    PLO+TAU

    Placebo + Treatment as Usual

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • This is a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RCT) to evaluate the ability of mirtazapine (MZP) to increase methamphetamine (MA) abstinence among treatment-seeking medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) adults.

  • DrugPlacebo

    Placebo to match.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Urinanalysis Verified Increased Days of MA Abstinence

    Determine if participants randomized to the MZP+TAU arm use less MA compared to those assigned to the PLO+TAU arm. We hypothesize that those assigned to the MZP+TAU arm will demonstrate significantly increased rates of biochemically verified MA abstinence relative to those in the PLO+TAU arm across the 10-week treatment period and 3-month follow-up periods.

    Time frame: Weeks 2 to Week 22

Secondary outcomes

  1. Actigraphy Verified Improved Sleep Patterns

    Determine if participants randomized to the MZP+TAU arm demonstrate improvements in sleep compared to those assigned to the PLO+TAU arm. We hypothesize that those assigned to the MZP+TAU arm will demonstrate improvements in objectively verified sleep relative to the PLO+TAU arm across the 10-week treatment and 3-month follow-up periods.

    Time frame: Week 2 to Week 22

Other outcomes

  1. Self Reported Quantity of Adverse Events

    Determine if participants randomized to the MZP+TAU arm experience the same number of adverse events compared to those in the PLO+TAU arm. We hypothesize that those assigned to the MZP+TAU arm will demonstrate statistically equivalent numbers of adverse events relative to those in the PLO+TAU arm across the 10-week treatment and 3-month follow-up periods.

    Time frame: Week 2 to Week 22

  2. Urinanalysis Verified Increased Days of Abstinence from Other Substances

    Determine if participants randomized to the MZP+TAU arm abstain from other substances of abuse (e.g. illicit opioids, cocaine) and demonstrate improvements in MA-associated health-impairing outcomes (e.g. cravings, sleep quality and HIV risk behavior) compared to those assigned to the PLO+TAU arm.

    Time frame: Week 2 to Week 22

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Spokane Treatment Center
    Spokane, Washington 99208, United States
    Recruiting
    • Rachel Ryan, BS · Contact
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Jun 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 29 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 5, 2024
First posted
Mar 21, 2024
StartActual
Jun 17, 2024
Primary completionEst.
Dec 1, 2026
CompletionEst.
Dec 1, 2026
Last update
Jul 2, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 2, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06323837
Lead sponsor
Washington State University
Responsible party
Sterling McPherson (Vice Dean of Resarch, Washington State University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 21, 2024
Start date
Jun 17, 2024
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 2, 2026

Study contacts

Research Coordinator
Contact
wsu.appl@wsu.edu
(509) 638-2376
Sterling M McPherson, PhD
principal investigator · Washington State University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Mirtazapine

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