An interventional study of high-frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in Etomidate Use Disorder and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), sponsored by The University of Hong Kong. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-30.
Sponsored by The University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if high-frequency rTMS works to treat etomidate addiction in adults. It will also learn about the safety and tolerability of rTMS. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Researchers will compare active rTMS to sham rTMS to see if active rTMS works to treat etomidate addiction.
Participants will:
Attend follow-up assessments up to 6 months after baseline
This is a 6-month, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot clinical trial evaluating high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people with etomidate addiction. Etomidate misuse has become an emerging public health concern, but there is currently no established treatment specifically for etomidate addiction. This study will examine whether active rTMS delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can reduce etomidate craving, use, and dependence severity compared with sham rTMS.
The study will enroll 40 participants with etomidate use disorder. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either active rTMS or sham rTMS. Both participants and outcome assessors will be blinded to treatment allocation. The intervention consists of 20 rTMS sessions delivered over 4 weeks, followed by an observation maintenance phase with follow-up assessments up to 6 months from baseline.
The study will assess changes in etomidate use, craving, withdrawal symptoms, dependence severity, anxiety, depression, global cognition, psychomotor speed, and cognitive biases related to delayed reward discounting and risk sensitivity. These assessments will help determine whether rTMS may be a feasible and potentially effective intervention for etomidate addiction and related decision-making processes.
521 studies on the registry are indexed under Behavior, Addictive; 124 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 62 across 399 interventional studies indexed under Behavior, Addictive.
Browse Behavior, Addictive studies →The University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,292 studies on the registry; 348 are open to participants now.
Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) 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.
Suffering from etomidate addiction as defined by:
Exclusion Criteria:
Had been diagnosed with the following disorders including:
1. Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
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.
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.
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.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
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.
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.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Subjects receive 20 high-frequency rTMS sessions over 4 weeks.
Device: high-frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Subjects receive 20 Sham rTMS sessions over 4 weeks.
Device: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
high-frequency rTMS using Magventure TMS system using the Coil Cool-B70 Active/Placebo Bended Butterfly coil is delivered at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of consented subjects
Sham rTMS will be delivered using the Coil Cool-B70 Active/Placebo Bended Butterfly coil, which generates a negligible magnetic field. The sham procedure will follow the same schedule as the active rTMS arm.
Change in etomidate craving
Change in craving measured by the Craving Automated Scale-Substance from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate stronger craving.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in etomidate withdrawal symptoms
Change in withdrawal symptoms measured by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Benzodiazepines from baseline to follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in amount of etomidate use
Change in the amount of etomidate use over the past 30 days measured by the Beat Drugs Fund Evaluation Question Set No. 5 and substance use interview from baseline to follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in frequency of etomidate use
Change in the frequency of etomidate use over the past 30 days measured by the Beat Drugs Fund Evaluation Question Set No. 5 and substance use interview from baseline to follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in severity of dependence
Change in severity of dependence measured by the Severity of Dependence Scale from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate greater dependence severity.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in urine-confirmed etomidate use
Change in etomidate use status assessed by urine test from baseline to follow-up. Urine testing will be used to assess recent etomidate use and compare biological testing results with self-reported etomidate use.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in anxiety symptoms
Change in anxiety symptoms measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in depressive symptoms
Change in depressive symptoms measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 1, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in delayed reward discounting
Change in delayed reward discounting measured by a delay discounting task from baseline to follow-up. The task assesses preference for smaller immediate rewards versus larger delayed rewards.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in risk sensitivity
Change in risk sensitivity measured by a risk preference task from baseline to follow-up. The task assesses preference for smaller safe rewards versus larger risky rewards.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in global cognitive function
Change in global cognitive function measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Hong Kong Chinese version or English version from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate better global cognitive function.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in psychomotor speed
Change in psychomotor speed measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test from baseline to follow-up. Higher scores indicate better psychomotor speed.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Month 3, and Month 6
Plan to share: No — This is because of the potential legal consequences to the participants as etomidate abuse in the study locality is considered criminal.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Aug 2028, 23 months later.
Of 147 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Behavior, Addictive, half reached primary completion within 27 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 42. This study's planned 23 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 155 studies reached it within 26 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 42.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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