Effects of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Dose on Experimental Stress Reactivity and Opioid Abstinence

Overview

This research deals with behaviors that are part of opioid dependence. The purpose is to study how stress and medication dose can affect opioid drug use.

If participants meet all the criteria, their involvement in the study (Phases 1 and 2 described below) will last for 10-13 weeks. Participants will be asked to stay at the research site for a minimum of 2 nights on 4 separate weeks and will have 22 office visits During that time, participants can't leave the unit unescorted or have visitors. Participants will receive a medication called Buprenorphine/Naloxone. Buprenorphine/Naloxone is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid addiction, and is a safe and effective alternative to methadone. Participants will receive this medication every day. When participants are not living on the inpatient unit they will come to the research clinic every day to receive the medication. On Day 1, one single 1-mL (0.2 teaspoon) blood sample will be collected to assess the effect of the Buprenorphine/Naloxone medication dose on gene expression pattern. On each day of admission (once on weeks 3, 5 and 7), a single 1-mL (0.2 teaspoon) blood sample will be collected to assess the effect of the buprenorphine/naloxone medication dose on the participant's gene expression pattern. On the 8 days while participants are an inpatient they will participate in experimental sessions that involve drug administration. On some days participants will receive morphine and on some days participants will receive oral medications called yohimbine and hydrocortisone that will be used to study stress responses. Each afternoon study staff will collect one blood sample (10 mL or 2 teaspoons) from a vein in the participant's arm; these samples will be used to measure biological signals of stress. At the end of the study participants will be detoxified from the Buprenorphine/Naloxone medication over a 3-week outpatient period. Study participants will be scheduled for one separate in-person visit at 1 month after week 11. At this follow-up visit participants will be asked to provide a urine sample and to complete questionnaires that ask about drug craving and use, withdrawal symptoms, risky situations for drug use, coping with stress, and consequences experienced from using drugs or being abstinent.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes