Individuals with opioid use disorder who are stabilized on buprenorphine or methadone will be randomly assigned to receive placebo or lofexidine for 5 weeks. At the end of five weeks, they will complete a human laboratory stress task and scripted opioid imagery task. Throughout the study a CREMA app (Cue Reactivity Ecological Momentary Assessment) will be used to monitor stress, craving and use in the natural environment.
Participants will complete a screening visit to determine study eligibility. During the first week, participants will be asked to abstain from opioid use other than buprenorphine. Participants will come to the clinic 2 times that week for urine drug testing. If all 2 tests are negative, participants will be randomly assigned to take either lofexidine or placebo (inactive medication) two to three times a day for 5 weeks. During this time, participants will upload videos of themselves taking their medication. They will come to the clinic 3 times a week for urine drug screens and to have their vital signs measured. They will also participate in "CREMA" sessions (Cue Reactivity Ecologic Momentary Assessment) 3 times a day. These sessions include looking at stressful and neutral pictures and rating stress and craving. At the end of five weeks, participants will return to the clinic and participate in a stress task and a scripted opioid imagery task the following day. For the next five days, participants will taper their medication dose. During this time they will continue to come to clinic to have their vital signs measured and complete a follow-up visit.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
112
Lofexidine, sold under the brand name Lucemyra among others, is a medication historically used to treat high blood pressure, but more commonly used to help with the physical symptoms of opioid withdrawal. It is taken by mouth. It is an α2A adrenergic receptor agonist.
Placebo comparator.
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Drug Cue+ Stressor Induced Craving
Participants will rate craving on a 0 to 7 Likert scale with 0 indicate "Strongly disagree" that they crave and 7 indicating "strongly agree" that they crave so that higher scores indicate more craving.
Time frame: Pre- Cue and 0, 5, 30 and 60 minutes Post-Cue 5 weeks Post- Baseline; Pre-TSST and 0, 5, 30 and 60 minutes Post-TSST 5 weeks Post-Baseline
Drug Cue+ Stressor Induced Stress Response
Participants will rate stress on a 0 to 4 Likert scale with 0 indicate "not at all" and 4 indicating "extremely" so that higher scores indicate a more robust stress response.
Time frame: Pre- Cue and 0, 5, 30 and 60 minutes Post-Cue 5 weeks Post- Baseline; Pre-TSST and 0, 5, 30 and 60 minutes Post-TSST 5 weeks Post-Baseline
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