COVID-19-Related Opioid Treatment Policy Evaluation
Opioid-use DisorderAlcohol Use DisorderOur nation is facing the COVID-19 pandemic during an ongoing opioid epidemic. Effective treatment for patients with opioid use problems involves a treatment method called Medication-Assisted Treatment, or MAT. In MAT, patients receive a medication that reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms and can prevent overdose. Patients also receive counseling. Because the medications that are used in MAT are controlled substances, this treatment is subject to a number of federal regulations. The need for social-distancing during the pandemic would have made following these regulations very difficult for patients and their providers. Because of these difficulties, the federal government eased regulations in March 2020, making it easier for patients to receive MAT with fewer (if any) in-person visits for medication and counseling. Our team is studying the effects of these policy changes on the treatment that patients with opioid use disorder receive and on their outcomes. We are using both quantitative analyses of large, existing databases and qualitative analyses of interviews with patients, providers, and policy-makers to study these effects.
Subthreshold Opioid Use Disorder Prevention (STOP) Trial
Opioid-use DisorderThe Subthreshold Opioid Use Disorder Prevention (STOP) trial will test the efficacy of a primary care intervention to reduce opioid use and overdose risk, and prevent progression to OUD, in adults with unhealthy use of illicit or prescribed opioids. STOP is a collaborative care model. A cluster-randomized trial, conducted in 5 primary care sites, with 100 PCPs and 300adult primary care patients, will test the efficacy of STOP versus enhanced usual care (EUC). The STOP intervention, if proven efficacious, will provide a solution to preventing OUD among patients who are most at risk, thus addressing a key aspect of the current opioid crisis.
Extended-release Injectable Buprenorphine for Individuals at High Risk of Overdose
Opioid-Use DisorderOpioid OverdoseThis pilot study will evaluate the feasibility and clinical utility of extended-release injectable buprenorphine (XR-BUP) for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) among individuals at high-risk for overdose (OD).
Outcome Inference in the Sensory Preconditioning Task in Opioid-Use Disorder
Opioid-Related DisordersDrug AddictionBackground: People with addictions often find it hard to choose the long-term benefits of abstinence over the short-term effects of using drugs. Researchers think this is partly due to parts of the brain involved in certain types of learning and decision-making. Researchers want to test these basic functions using a simple task with pictures and odors. Objective: To see if performance in a learning task differs between people who have opioid-use disorder and people who don t. Eligibility: Adults 21-60 years old who are willing to fast for at least 6 hours and smell food odors. Those with an opioid-use disorder must either not use for at least 3 weeks or be in treatment. Design: Participants will have 1 visit that will take up to 5 hours. Before the visit, participants will be asked to not eat or drink anything except water for at least 6 hours. At the visit, participants will be checked for signs of intoxication. Participants will give urine and breath samples. Participants will have tests of learning and behavior. They will look at shapes on a computer screen. The shapes will be paired with different food odors. The odors will come from a sterile tube placed under the nose. Participants will have their breathing monitored with a belt around the upper abdomen. About 30 days and 60 days later, participants will be called and asked about their drug use over the past 30 days.
Monthly Versus Daily Buprenorphine Formulations for Treatment of Opiate Use Disorder
Moderate to Severe Opioid Use DisorderOpioid use disorder and opioid-related deaths are increasing across Canada. The mainstay of medical treatment includes either full (methadone) or partial (buprenorphine) opioid agonist therapy. In Canada, there are 2 buprenorphine formulations, an immediate-release (Suboxone) and extended-release(Sublocade). These treatments have been shown to be equivalent for medication adherence and treatment retention. However, Sublocade costs 8-times more, and 50% of patients must pay out-of-pocket if they prefer this treatment option. This study is needed to demonstrate the superior benefits of Sublocade on important clinical outcomes to demonstrate its cost-effectiveness and justify expanded insured access across Canada.
Symptom-inhibited Fentanyl Induction
Opioid Use DisorderThe goal of this clinical trial is to test a treatment strategy for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who use fentanyl. Participants will receive medically-administered doses of intravenous (IV) fentanyl at intervals until they are comfortable and do not have withdrawal symptoms. They then will be given opioid agonist therapy (OAT) once daily by mouth, which is the current standard treatment for OUD. In this trial, each participant's starting dose of OAT will be tailored to meet their opioid needs, based on the amount of IV fentanyl they received. The main questions this trial aims to answer are: Is the IV fentanyl protocol feasible and safe for use in a community clinic setting? Will the protocol result in higher-than-standard starting doses of OAT? Are these doses safe, and will they enable participants to stay on OAT for a longer time?
Switching Individuals in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Who Smoke Cigarettes to the SREC
Electronic Cigarette UseThe goal of this study is to conduct a pilot randomized waitlist-controlled trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of substituting the NIDA standardized research e-cigarette (SREC) for combusted cigarettes in MOUD-TUD who are not ready to quit smoking. A waitlist controlled RCT using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design will investigate the impact of SREC provision on: 1) tobacco use behavior (e.g., cigarettes per day [primary outcome], SREC use), 2) biomarkers (e.g., carbon monoxide, anabasine), 3) cigarette dependence and withdrawal, and 4) short-term health effects and tolerability (e.g., respiratory symptoms, substance use). In the proposed RCT, N=40 adults stable on MOUD with buprenorphine who report daily smoking recruited from MGH primary care practices will be randomly assigned to receive the SREC for 8 weeks, either immediately (iSREC), or after an 8-week delay (waitlist control [WLC]). They will be followed an additional 4 weeks after SREC provision ends (to 12 weeks in iSREC and 20 weeks in WLC).
A Project to Test the Efficacy and Safety of An Innovative Treatment for Opiate Use Disorders.
Opioid Use DisorderModerate6 moreInvestigators will test, for safety and efficacy, a novel treatment for opiate addiction that applies a 4-minute treatment of intense near infra-red light to stimulate a side of the brain that the investigators determine to be healthier, more mature, and less traumatized. Investigators will compare among actively using participants an active and a sham treatment given either once or twice weekly for 25-weeks at 2 sites. Investigators hope this will lead to a significant weapon in the battle against the opioid epidemic as well as lead to psychological and physiological insights into possible relations among trauma, cerebral laterality, and addiction.
Outpatient Buprenorphine Induction With Psilocybin for Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid Use DisorderThis study will examine the effect of a single high dose of psilocybin therapy (30 mg) versus a very low dose (1 mg) as an adjunctive therapy to individuals undergoing standard-of-care outpatient buprenorphine treatment for Opioid use disorder (OUD). The participants will have previously undergone buprenorphine induction before. Effects of adjunctive psilocybin will be determined for longitudinal outcomes of opioid abstinence, compliance with outpatient buprenorphine maintenance, quality of life, and mood.
A Clinical Trial to Assess Pharmacokinetic Profiles and Safety of IVL3004
Opioid DependenceAlcohol DependenceA Clinical Trial to Assess Pharmacokinetic Profiles and Safety of IVL3004