The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of pioglitazone on stress- and alcohol-related measures in treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and elevated levels of stress and anxiety.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
4
For the current trial we will follow recommended adult initial dosing at 30 mg/d to reach maintenance dose of 45 mg/d by week 2, which is within standard titration parameters as per the investigator's brochure.
Pill capsules will look same as that of active drug.
The University of Texas Health Science at Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
Change in Stress-reactivity as Assessed by Heart Rate Change During the Cold Pressor Task (CPT)
The cold pressor task (CPT) a stress-inducer in human laboratory studies that elicits moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system and limited activation of the HPA-axis. During CPT, participants will submerge their dominant arm in an ice-water bath for up to 2 minutes, and heart rate will be measured before and after CPT. The heart rate change for each time point is calculated as heart rate after CPT minus the heart rate before CPT. This outcome measure reports the heart rate change at week 4 minus the heart rate change at baseline.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Stress-reactivity as Assessed by Change in Systolic Blood Pressure During the Cold Pressor Task (CPT)
The cold pressor task (CPT) a stress-inducer in human laboratory studies that elicits moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system and limited activation of the HPA-axis. During CPT, participants will submerge their dominant arm in an ice-water bath for up to 2 minutes, and blood pressure will be measured before and after CPT. The blood pressure change for each time point is calculated as blood pressure after CPT minus the blood pressure before CPT. This outcome measure reports the blood pressure change at week 4 minus the blood pressure change at baseline.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Stress-reactivity as Assessed by Diastolic Blood Pressure Change During the Cold Pressor Task (CPT)
The cold pressor task (CPT) a stress-inducer in human laboratory studies that elicits moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system and limited activation of the HPA-axis. During CPT, participants will submerge their dominant arm in an ice-water bath for up to 2 minutes, and blood pressure will be measured before and after CPT. The blood pressure change for each time point is calculated as blood pressure after CPT minus the blood pressure before CPT. This outcome measure reports the blood pressure change at week 4 minus the blood pressure change at baseline.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Stress-reactivity as Assessed by Salivary Cortisol Level Change During the Cold Pressor Task (CPT)
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The cold pressor task (CPT) a stress-inducer in human laboratory studies that elicits moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system and limited activation of the HPA-axis. During CPT, participants will submerge their dominant arm in an ice-water bath for up to 2 minutes, and salivary cortisol level will be measured before and after CPT. The salivary cortisol level change for each time point is calculated as salivary cortisol level after CPT minus the salivary cortisol level before CPT. This outcome measure reports the salivary cortisol level change at week 4 minus the salivary cortisol level change at baseline.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Stress-reactivity as Assessed by Self-report on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
The visual analogue scale (VAS) ranges from 0-10, with a higher score indicating higher stress.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Alcohol Use as Indicated by Self Report Using the Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB)
The Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB) is a drinking assessment method that obtains an estimate of daily drinking. Participants provide a retrospective estimate of the number of drinks per week for the last seven days.
Time frame: baseline, week 4
Change in Alcohol Craving as Assessed by Self Report Using the The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS).
The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) is a 5-item questionnaire that measures an individual's craving to drink alcohol in the past week. Each item is scored on a scale from 0 to 6, with a total score range of 0 to 30. A higher score indicates greater level of alcohol craving.
Time frame: baseline, week 4