Effect of Oxytocin on Craving and Therapy Response



Status:Active, not recruiting
Conditions:Psychiatric
Therapuetic Areas:Psychiatry / Psychology
Healthy:No
Age Range:18 - 65
Updated:4/21/2016
Start Date:March 2013
End Date:June 2016

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Effect of Oxytocin on Craving and Therapy Response in Marijuana-dependent Individuals

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a medication called oxytocin on
craving, marijuana use, and therapy response in people who frequently use marijuana. .

Oxytocin has been shown to promote trust, social bonding, and calmness; however, its
potential additive effects with a therapy intervention have not been explored in
marijuana-dependent individuals. In the proposed study, the impact of intranasal oxytocin on
therapy effectiveness, drug craving, and marijuana use outcomes following a brief therapy
intervention will be investigated. It is hypothesized that oxytocin administration (vs.
placebo) will improve treatment satisfaction, attenuate drug craving, and decrease marijuana
use.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Subjects must be able to provide informed consent and function at an intellectual
level sufficient to allow accurate completion of all assessment instruments.

2. Subjects must meet DSM-IV criteria for current marijuana dependence (within the past
three months). While individuals may also meet criteria for abuse of other
substances, they must identify marijuana as their primary substance of abuse and must
not meet criteria for dependence on any other substance (except nicotine) within the
last 60 days.

3. Subjects must consent to remain abstinent from alcohol for 24 hours and other drugs
of abuse (except nicotine and marijuana) for three days immediately prior to study
procedures. Subjects must abstain from marijuana for 24 hours prior to testing. By
restricting marijuana use as proposed, subjects should not be under the acute effects
of marijuana.

4. Subjects must consent to random assignment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Women who are pregnant, nursing or of childbearing potential and not practicing an
effective means of birth control.

2. Subjects with evidence of or a history of significant hematological, endocrine,
cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, or neurological disease including
diabetes, as these conditions may affect physiological/subjective responses.

3. Subjects with a history of or current psychotic disorder or bipolar affective
disorder as these may interfere with subjective measurements.

4. Subjects who pose a current suicidal or homicidal risk.

5. Subjects taking any psychotropic medications, including SRI's or other
antidepressants, opiates or opiate antagonists because these may affect test
response. Individuals who take stimulants for treatment of ADHD will be allowed to
participate.

6. Subjects with any acute illness or fever. Individuals who otherwise meet study
criteria will be rescheduled for evaluation for participation.

7. Subjects who are unwilling or unable to maintain abstinence from alcohol and
marijuana for 24 hours and other drugs of abuse (except nicotine) for three days
prior to study procedures.

8. Subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence (other than nicotine or
marijuana) within the past 60 days.

9. Subjects who, in the investigator's opinion, would be unable to comply with study
procedures or assessments.
We found this trial at
1
site
171 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, South Carolina 29425
843-792-1414
Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has grown from...
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Charleston, SC
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