A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Sodium Acetate and Placebo in Alcohol Withdrawal, Alcohol Abstinence and Alcohol Use Disorder, sponsored by University of Colorado, Denver. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-30.
Sponsored by University of Colorado, Denver · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a highly morbid condition affecting a substantial percentage of patients hospitalized who have alcohol use disorders, estimated at 5-6% of all hospitalized patients. Standard treatment paradigms for alcohol withdrawal syndrome have common and serious side effects, and do not fully address this condition's underlying pathophysiology.
This study will examine the feasibility and safety of administering intravenous acetate, an alcohol metabolite and alternative brain fuel, as an adjunctive treatment for alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients that will to set the stage for future investigations of its efficacy as an adjunctive treatment in the hospital setting.
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome manifests in up to 30% of hospitalized patients with severe alcohol use disorders (AUD), and is a potentially life-threatening, highly morbid condition. Standard medications to treat alcohol withdrawal (e.g. benzodiazepines) can induce respiratory depression and prolong hospitalization, while medications used as adjuncts (e.g. dexmedetomidine) are also sedating and necessitate intensive monitoring. Therefore, alternative treatments targeting novel pathways in alcohol withdrawal are needed to address this treatment gap and improve patient care. Although alcohol withdrawal symptoms arise from counterregulatory neuroadaptations in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate signaling, homeostatic alterations in the brain's fuel preference and sudden changes in its fuel supply have also been implicated that are not addressed by current treatment paradigms. Longstanding AUD diminishes the brain's ability to metabolize glucose, enhancing its metabolic preference for the alcohol metabolite acetate. Acetate is converted to acetyl-CoA, which is used for fuel and neurotransmitter production. When a person with AUD is hospitalized, stopping alcohol consumption, acetate supply ceases at a time when the brain has a reduced preference for glucose, potentially driving withdrawal symptoms. Investigations in patients with alcohol withdrawal that administered alternative energy substrates via oral ketogenic diet (which also generates acetyl-CoA) reported symptom improvement; however, prominent gastrointestinal symptoms in acute, severe alcohol withdrawal limit their use in this setting. Notably, we have shown that intravenous (IV) acetate administration to participants with AUD was feasible and safe and had a demonstrable physiological effect on cerebral blood flow (CBF), measured by magnetic resonance arterial spin labeling, including increased CBF to thalami, cerebellum, and cortex, which was not observed in healthy controls. Since metabolism and blood flow are tightly linked in the brain, our results support metabolic adaptations in AUD, paving the way for future investigations of acetate's efficacy as an adjunctive treatment in alcohol withdrawal that will be refined in this R34 proposal. We will conduct a single- center, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT) of IV acetate in patients hospitalized at a large academic university hospital who are receiving inpatient standard of care treatment for alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Aim 1 will optimize screening, recruitment, informed consent, and enrollment strategies. Aim 2 will establish processes to ensure protocol fidelity, safety, and patient retention, to include collection of outcome variables reflecting patient symptoms and medication administration for alcohol withdrawal, and healthcare resource utilization. Aim 3 will use qualitative methods to incorporate the experiences and perceptions of patients hospitalized with alcohol withdrawal to improve study design and magnify the impact of the research.
Results of this study will inform the final protocol and procedures for a future multi-center RCT focused on determining efficacy of adjunctive acetate treatment in patients admitted for alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
20 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcohol Abstinence; 10 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 75 is below the median of 90 across 17 interventional studies indexed under Alcohol Abstinence.
Browse Alcohol Abstinence studies →University of Colorado, Denver is the lead sponsor of 1,543 studies on the registry; 317 are open to participants now.
Of its 147 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 92 (63%) have results posted.
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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 share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)
The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Sodium acetate (82mg/mEq) will be mixed in solution with sterile water to create a 150 mEq/L (same as 150 mM) isotonic solution. Patients randomized to active drug will initially receive 300 mM (mEq) acetate in 2L fluid over a two-hour period. The study drug will be administered as an initial 6 mg/kg/min bolus (\~250mL volume) over 10 min, followed by a 3 mg/kg/min infusion (1750ml volume) over 110 min to complete 2L total. After the two hours are completed, patients will continue to receive the acetate solution infusion at a reduced rate of 50 mL/hour (or 615 mg acetate/ hour) until alcohol withdrawal orders are discontinued, or up to 72 hours, whichever comes first.
Drug: Sodium Acetate
The placebo solution will be 0.9% saline, administered as a bolus/infusion in a manner identical to what would be administered for acetate.
Drug: Placebo
Sodium acetate (82mg/mEq) will be mixed in solution with sterile water to create a 150 mEq/L (same as 150 mM) isotonic solution. Patients randomized to active drug will initially receive 300 mM (mEq) acetate in 2L fluid over a two-hour period. The study drug will be administered as an initial 6 mg/kg/min bolus (\~250mL volume) over 10 min, followed by a 3 mg/kg/min infusion (1750ml volume) over 110 min to complete 2L total. After the two hours are completed, patients will continue to receive the acetate solution infusion at a reduced rate of 50 mL/hour (or 615 mg acetate/ hour) until alcohol withdrawal orders are discontinued, or up to 72 hours, whichever comes first.
The placebo solution will be 0.9% saline, administered as a bolus/infusion in a manner identical to what would be administered for acetate.
Also known as: normal saline
Consent Rate for Study Participation per Week
Number and percentage of patients meeting all study eligibility criteria who provide informed consent for study participation among all eligible patients identified during each week of recruitment.
Time frame: Assessed weekly during the study recruitment period, pre-consent
Proportion of Randomized Participants Receiving Greater Than or Equal to 2 L of Assigned Study Infusion
Number and percentage of randomized participants who receive at least 2 L of their assigned study infusion (study drug or placebo), as a measure of study protocol fidelity.
Time frame: After consent and randomization, immediately before study infusion, through completion or discontinuation of the study infusion, up to 72 hours.
Proportion of Randomized Participants Withdrawn from Study for Safety Concerns
Number and percentage of randomized participants for whom study participation or study intervention is discontinued because of a safety concern.
Time frame: After consent, immediately before study infusion, through completion, withdraw or discontinuation of the study infusion during the index hospitalization, up to 72 hours.
Alcohol Withdrawal Medications Administered, per Patient
Alcohol withdrawal medication utilization will be characterized descriptively for each participant by the total dose administered and total number of treatment days. Medications will be summarized by prespecified treatment category: (1) GABAergic medications, including benzodiazepines and phenobarbital, and (2) adjunctive medications, including dexmedetomidine and ketamine. Individual medications and medication classes will be reported separately, as applicable.
Time frame: After consent and randomization, through hospital discharge from the index hospitalization or study completion at 18 months, what occurs first.
Screening Volume
Number of emergency department patients with an alcohol withdrawal pathway or order set initiated per week. Screening opportunities will also be characterized according to day of the week and time of day when the pathway or order set is initiated.
Time frame: Pre-consent. Assessed weekly during the study recruitment period
Eligibility Rate
Number and percentage of screened patients meeting all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria and therefore eligible to be approached for informed consent.
Time frame: Pre-consent. Assessed weekly during the study recruitment period
Characteristics of Patients Who Do and Do Not Consent
Characteristics of eligible patients who do and do not consent to study participation will be summarized descriptively, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, English versus Spanish language, comorbid conditions, availability of a proxy, and whether consent was provided by a proxy.
Time frame: Pre-consent through completion of the consent/enrollment attempt during the index hospitalization
Time to Informed Consent
Time from documented emergency department arrival to documentation of informed consent, determined using electronic medical record date and time stamps.
Time frame: Pre-consent. From emergency department arrival through documentation of informed consent
Study Drug Receipt, per Patient
Receipt of the assigned study intervention (either drug or placebo) will be characterized by total study drug dose received, total infusion volume received, total duration of infusion, and time between randomization and initiation of the study drug infusion.
Time frame: After consent and randomization. Assessed through completion or discontinuation of the study infusion, for up to 72 hours.
Reasons for Study Withdrawal
Reasons for study withdrawal will be characterized, with particular assessment of withdrawal related to acid-base and/or electrolyte abnormalities, and respiratory-related instability.
Time frame: After randomization through study completion, withdrawal, or hospital discharge, for up to 72 hours.
Thiamine Dosing
Total thiamine administration will be characterized descriptively based on the total dose received per randomized participant.
Time frame: At baseline, after hospital arrival, through hospital discharge or study conclusion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
Modified Minnesota Detoxification Scale (mMINDS) Scores Over Time
Serial mMINDS scores recorded by nurses will be used to characterize the severity and trajectory of alcohol withdrawal symptoms during the course of the hospitalization.
Time frame: At baseline, after hospital arrival, through hospital discharge or study conclusion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
Requirement for Mechanical Ventilation
Determined by wheter the patient required mechanical ventilation or not, for any reason.
Time frame: At baseline, after hospital arrival, through hospital discharge or study conclusion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
In-hospital Mortality
Number and percentage of participants who die during the index hospitalization and number and percentage who are discharged against medical advice. Each outcome will be reported separately.
Time frame: After consent and randomization, through discharge from the index hospitalization or study consluion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
Upgrade in Level of Care
Level of care will be recorded by whether or not the patient required transfer to higher level of care, for example if the patient was on a medical ward but was transferred to an Intensive Care Unit.
Time frame: After consent and randomization, thourgh the patient's hospital admission period or study conclusion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
Duration and Intensity of Alcohol Withdrawal Monitoring
Alcohol withdrawal monitoring will be characterized by the total duration that the alcohol withdrawal order set remains active and the total number of nursing alcohol withdrawal assessments, including mMINDS assessments, completed for each participant.
Time frame: After hospital arrival through hospital discharge, or study conclusion, for up to 18 months, whichever occurs first.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Studies of the drug tested here: Sodium Acetate
University of Colorado, Denver →