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NCT Number: NCT07224009

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for Management of Fatigue in Prostate Cancer Patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)

The study is being done to see if a small daily dose of naltrexone (LDN, 3 mg pill) can help reduce tiredness (fatigue) in men with prostate cancer. All men in this study are being treated with hormone therapy (also called androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT). Some may also be taking newer hormone medicines such as apalutamide, daralutamide, enzalutamide, or abiraterone.

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Key information

About this study

The purpose of this study is to learn if low dose naltrexone can safely improve energy and reduce fatigue in men receiving these treatments.

Primary Objectives

  • Characterize mitochondrial bioenergetics, inflammation and oxidative stress after ADT and the remediating effects of LDN.
  • Assess the impact of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) on Cancer-related fatigue as measured by the FACIT-F questionnaire.

Secondary Objectives

  • Evaluate quality of life (QOL) measures [Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) on subjects receiving LDN.
  • Evaluate safety and tolerability of LDN.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed biochemical recurrence and on ADT for at least 3 months. Metastatic castrate-sensitive and castrate-resistant prostate cancer on ADT with or without novel hormonal therapy like apalutamide, darolutamide, enzalutamide and abiraterone.
  • Initiation of hormonal ablative therapy within 3 months of registration.
  • ECOG performance status <3.
  • Patients must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below:
  • leukocytes >3,000/μL
  • absolute neutrophil count >1,500/μL
  • platelets >100,000/μL
  • total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
  • AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) <2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
  • creatinine ≤2.5.0
  • left ventricular ejection fraction >45%
  • FACIT-F score < 43 on screening
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion criteria

  • Prior chemotherapy received in the last three months.
  • Patients currently on PARP inhibitors.
  • Currently taking or have taken within 10 days of enrollment.
  • Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents.
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to Naltrexone or other agents used in the study.
  • History of other malignancies other than nonmelanoma skin cancer, unless in complete remission and off therapy for that disease for at least 5 years.
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, history of congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
  • Any Patient with acute hepatitis and liver failure are excluded.

Treatment and study plan

Naltrexone

Drug

Naltrexone, a structurally similar compound to the opioid antagonist naloxone, but with longer half-life and higher bioavailability, was first synthesized in the 1960s and approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1980s for treatment of opioid addiction. Its use was later expanded for management of alcohol addiction as well. The typical dose of naltrexone used for opioid and alcohol addiction is 50-100mg [19].

Naltrexone at one-tenth of the original addiction treatment dose, referred to as LDN, exhibits interesting paradoxical pharmacology and enhances endogenous opioid production. It also showed exhibiting multiple other pharmacological effects ranging from inhibition of proliferation of cancer cells, modulating immune response there by slowing the progression of autoimmune diseases and exhibiting the inhibitory effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines thereby reducing the symptoms of neuropathic and non-cancer related pain.

Primary outcomes

  1. Characterize mitochondrial bioenergetics after ADT and the remediating effects of LDN

    Time frame: 30 months

  2. Characterize inflammation after ADT and the remediating effects of LDN

    Time frame: 30 months

  3. Characterize oxidative stress after ADT and the remediating effects of LDN

    Time frame: 30 months

  4. Assess the impact of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) on Cancer-related fatigue as measured by the FACIT-F questionnaire

    Time frame: 30 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Evaluate quality of life (QOL) measures [Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) on subjects receiving LDN

    Time frame: 30 months

  2. Evaluate safety and tolerability of LDN by assessing the number of participants with treatment-related adverse events graded by CTCAE v5.0

    Time frame: 30 months

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Aaron Holley

CONTACT

[email protected]

5016868274

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Arkansas

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Phase II Clinical Trial Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for the Management of Fatigue in Prostate Cancer Patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2029
First posted
Nov 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 17, 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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