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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06206291

Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

The long-term goal of the project is to determine whether cannabidiol (CBD) can reduce craving and relapse in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The first phase of our project was an open cross-over design study in healthy individuals to confirm the safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) effects of CBD. This next phase is to determine whether CBD can serve as a potential adjunct treatment to reduce craving and anxiety in individuals with OUD maintained on opioid agonist therapy.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

New York, 10029, United States

About this study

In this Phase 2 study, the research team will conduct a double-blind (placebo-controlled) randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether 200mg and/or 400mg CBD (BSPG Laboratories) given twice daily (morning and evening), as compared to placebo, reduces cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with opioid use disorder who are maintained on methadone or buprenorphine. In addition to in-lab physiological and behavioral assessments of cue-induced craving and anxiety, the research team will also employ ecological momentary assessment to obtain real-world measures of symptoms including craving, anxiety, and mood.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

An individual who meets all of the following criteria will be eligible for study participation:

  • Individuals between 18 and 65 years old
  • Ability to understand and give informed consent.
  • Current opioid use disorder (OUD) or OUD in remission while on maintenance therapy with OAT, as determined by DSM-5 with the M.I.N.I. interview (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview).
  • Current opioid agonist maintenance treatment in an opioid treatment program with methadone or buprenorphine for at least 14 days prior to study participation. With the following more specific criteria for each of these two medications:
  • Current methadone maintenance treatment with a dose of ≥ 40mg/day, (maximum: 200mg/day), AND urinary toxicology positive for methadone and EDDP; OR
  • Current buprenorphine maintenance treatment with a dose of ≥ 8mg/day (maximum: 24mg/day), AND urinary toxicology positive for buprenorphine.

Exclusion criteria

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation:

  • Participants who are non-English speaking.
  • Psychiatric conditions under DSM-5 (examined with the MINI) that would make study participation unsafe or which would prevent adherence to study procedure; examples include: suicidal or homicidal ideation requiring immediate attention, inadequately-treated mental health disorder (e.g., active psychosis, uncontrolled bipolar disorder).
  • Current diagnosis of a severe substance use disorder (except for opioid and nicotine/tobacco) in the past 3 months, based on the MINI interview, that would preclude safe participation in the study as determined by the study medical clinician.
  • Alcohol intoxication when arriving at the study site (i.e., positive alcohol breathalyzer / alcohol salivary strips / urine alcohol).
  • Signs of acute drug intoxication when arriving at the study site as determined by clinician assessment.
  • Medical or psychiatric contraindications for CBD administration (e.g., history of hypersensitivity to cannabinoids); or any of the ingredients in the product (gelatin or sesame oil).
  • Showing signs of acute opioid withdrawal symptoms (as determined by the result of the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS). A Score of ≥ 5 or as interpreted by the investigator will be considered a positive result for withdrawal symptoms).
  • Have a medical condition that would make study participation unsafe, which would make treatment compliance difficult, or would prevent adherence to study procedure. This includes, but is not limited to the following criteria:
  • History of impaired renal function or elevated liver enzymes at prescreening. The exclusionary lab values are: >4x the upper limit of normal (ULN) per laboratory criteria for AST or ALT, >1.5x ULN for bilirubin or <30mL/min/1.73m2 eGFR
  • QTc Frederica > 500ms
  • Participating in another pharmacotherapeutic trial in the past 3 months.
  • Participants who have used any medication, dietary supplements (and/or grapefruit juice), or combination of medications and supplements known to alter the metabolism of, or interact with CBD (buproprion, rifampin, barbiturates, phenothiazines, cimetidine, etc.) 14 days prior to and during the duration of the study
  • For women: being pregnant (positive urine test for pregnancy) or breastfeeding.
  • Not using an appropriate method of contraception such as hormonal contraception (oral hormonal contraceptives, Depo-Provera, Nuva-Ring), intrauterine device (IUD), sterilization, or double barrier method (combination of any two barrier methods used simultaneously, i.e. condom, spermicide, diaphragm).
  • Participants who have been court mandated to attend treatment centers.

Treatment and study plan

Placebo

Drug

Matching placebo twice daily for first 4 weeks

Cannabidiol (CBD) 200mg

Drug

First 4 weeks: CBD (200mg)/Placebo twice daily adjunct with opioid agonist treatment.

Cannabidiol (CBD) 400mg

Drug

Second 4 weeks: All cohorts receive CBD (400mg) twice daily adjunct with opioid agonist treatment.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Visual Analog Scale for Craving (VASC)

    Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks

    Cue-induced Visual Analog Scale for craving is used to measure subjective craving responses to a drug and neutral video cues evaluated in the clinic. Changes in craving from baseline (pre-cue to post-cue and pre-neutral cue to post-neutral cue) will be measured and compared. Total scale ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating extreme cravings.

  2. Change in Visual Analog Scale Anxiety (VASA)

    Time frame: Baseline and 4-weeks

    Cue-induced Visual Analog Scale Anxiety is used to measure subjective anxiety responses to a drug and neutral video cue evaluated in the clinic. Changes in anxiety from baseline (pre-cue to post-cue and pre-neutral cue to post-neutral cue) will be measured and compared. Total scale from 0-10, with higher score indicating extreme anxiety.

  3. Percentage of Participants With Positive Urine Toxicology

    Time frame: 4-weeks

    Percentage of participants with positive urine toxicology for illicit opioid use at 4 weeks.

  4. Systematic Assessment for Treatment Emergent Events (SAFTEE)

    Time frame: weekly for 8 weeks (Baseline, Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8)

    Systematic Assessment for Treatment Emergent Events (SAFTEE) is used to measure safety and tolerability. SAFTEE is a side effect self-report assessment scale that consists of 56 potential side effects. Participants rate how bothersome each side effect is on a scale of "none" (0), "mild" (1), "moderate" (2), "severe" (3). Total score ranges 0 - 168, higher scores indicate a higher level of side effect burden.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Visual Analog Scale for Craving (VASC)

    Time frame: 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    Cue-induced Visual Analog Scale for craving is used to measure subjective craving responses to a drug and neutral video cues evaluated in the clinic. Changes in craving at 8 weeks as compared to 4 weeks (pre-cue to post-cue and pre-neutral cue to post-neutral cue) will be measured and compared. Scale range: 0 (no craving) - 10 (extreme craving). Higher score indicates more extreme craving.

  2. Change in Visual Analog Scale Anxiety (VASA)

    Time frame: 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    Cue-induced Visual Analog Scale Anxiety is used to measure subjective anxiety responses to a drug and neutral video cue evaluated in the clinic. Changes in anxiety at 8 weeks as compared to 4 weeks (pre-cue to post-cue and pre-neutral cue to post-neutral cue) will be measured and compared. Scale: 0 (not at all anxious) - 10 (extremely anxious). Higher score indicates more extreme anxiety.

  3. Change in Percentage of Participants With Positive Urine Toxicology

    Time frame: 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    Proportion of percentage with positive urine toxicology for illicit opioid use at 8 weeks as compared to 4 weeks.

  4. Change in Heroin Craving Questionnaire Short Form (HCQ-SF-14)

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    Heroin Craving Questionnaire Short Form (HCQ-SF-14): A 15 minute, 14 item self-administered to measure general heroin craving. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1= strongly disagree, 7= strongly agree). Full scale ranges from 14-98, with higher scores indicating more severe heroin craving.

  5. Change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)

    Time frame: Baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    The General Anxiety Disorder 7-item questionnaire (GAD-7) assesses seven problem items potentially experienced over the past two weeks from "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day). Individuals rank their levels of nervousness, anxiousness, relaxing, restlessness, irritability and fearfulness. Full scale from 0-21, with higher score indicating more anxiety symptoms.

  6. Duration of Participant First Illicit Opioid Abstinence

    Time frame: any time during study, 8 weeks

  7. Change in Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    The Questionnaire Type 9 for Depression (PHQ-9) measures depression severity with the nine DSM-IV criteria scored as "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day). Full scale ranges from 0-27, with higher score indicating more severe symptoms.

  8. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-SF)

    Time frame: baseline, 4-weeks and 8-weeks, post-cue collected within 10 minutes of pre-cue

    A 20 item self-administered questionnaire evaluating current positive and negative affect. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale (0= Very slightly or not at all, 5= Extremely). Scores range from 10 - 50 for both sets of items. For the total positive score, a higher score indicates more of a positive affect. For the total negative score, a lower score indicates less of a negative affect.

  9. Change in Heart Rate

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    Heart rate (beats/min) will be monitored throughout the time course of the study and change at Week 8 from baseline will be studied.

  10. Change in Blood Pressure

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    Blood pressure (in mmHg) will be monitored throughout the time course of the study and changes at week 8 as compared from baseline will be studied. Both diastolic and systolic pressures will be assessed.

  11. Change in Body Temperature

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    Body temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) will be monitored throughout the time course of the study and changes at week 8 from baseline will be studied.

  12. Change in Oxygen Level

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    Oxygen level will be measured by pulse oximetry when vitals are collected. Change in oxygen level at week 8 as compared to baseline

  13. Change in Cue-induced Salivary Cortisol Levels

    Time frame: Baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    Study participant will chew on a cotton swab providing a saliva sample from which free cortisol levels will be measured as an indicator of stress response in association with video cues. Thus, the stress of craving will be monitored and measured to observe any neutral cue induced changes from between baseline and 4 weeks, and between 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

  14. Sleep Duration in Minutes Per Night

    Time frame: up to 8-weeks

    Average sleep duration measured across 8 weeks.

  15. Change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    A 5-10 minute, 7 question self-administered screening tool for insomnia. Each item rates the nature and symptoms of potential sleep problems using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 28, with the highest score indicating prevalence and severity of insomnia.

  16. Change in The Digit Span Test Subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4th Edition

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    A 10-15 minute 30-item assessment that includes Digit Span Forward (DSF) and Digit Span Backward (DSB). DSF measures short-term memory, not working memory. DSB measures auditory working memory. Full scale from a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 30, with the highest score indicating the total number of points achieved for correct responses.

  17. Change in The Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90)

    Time frame: baseline and 8-weeks

    The Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90): A 12-15 minute, 90 item self-administered psychometric instrument yielding nine scores of primary symptom dimensions (5-point rating scale; 1= Not at all, 5= Extremely), along with three scores based on global distress measures. Full scale ranges from a minimum score of 90 and maximum score of 450, with higher scores indicating more severe psychological distress.

  18. Change in Percentage of Participants With THC Positive in Urine.

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8 weeks

    Change in percentage of participants with THC positive in Urine - Substance use other than opioids measured in urine.

  19. Change in Plasma Level of THC Positive in Blood.

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8 weeks

    Change in plasma level THC Positive in - Substance use other than opioids measured in blood.

  20. Change in Concentration of Methadone Metabolites in Blood

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8-weeks

    Concentration of methadone metabolites measured in blood.

  21. Change in Concentration of Buprenorphine Metabolites in Blood

    Time frame: baseline and 4-weeks, 4-weeks and 8 weeks

    Concentration of buprenorphine metabolites measured in blood.

  22. Number of Participants Remaining in Treatment

    Time frame: up to 8 weeks

    Retention in treatment as measured by number of participants remaining in treatment.

  23. Change Methadone Dosage of Opioid Agonist Treatment

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks

    Change in the methadone dosage at Week 8 as compared to baseline.

  24. Number of CBD-COOH Positive Blood Toxicology

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    The number of CBD-COOH positive blood toxicology to measure adherence

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Yasmin Hurd

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jan 16, 2024
Registry last updated
Jun 18, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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