NCT01467999

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether guanfacine represents a tolerable, potentially effective pharmacotherapy option for cannabis dependence. Interested in seeing whether guanfacine treatment reduces marijuana consumption, withdrawal symptoms, and craving as compared to baseline.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
22

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for phase_1

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2012

Longer than P75 for phase_1

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 7, 2011

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

November 9, 2011

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2012

Completed
4.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 1, 2016

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 1, 2016

Completed
2.2 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

December 12, 2018

Completed
Last Updated

February 5, 2019

Status Verified

January 1, 2019

Enrollment Period

4.2 years

First QC Date

November 7, 2011

Results QC Date

May 16, 2018

Last Update Submit

January 17, 2019

Conditions

Keywords

cannabis dependencemarijuana dependenceguanfacine

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Reduction in Mean Number of Days of Cannabis Use Per Week

    The reduction in cannabis consumption quantified by the number of days of cannabis use per week was assessed, as measured by the Time Line followback, reported week 1 compared to week 8.

    Daily cannabis use reported during the 8 week trial or the length of the patient's participation

Study Arms (1)

Guanfacine

EXPERIMENTAL

Guanfacine, 4mg given once daily

Drug: Guanfacine

Interventions

Guanfacine, 4mg given once daily

Also known as: Intuniv
Guanfacine

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 60 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Men and women between the ages of 18-60 who meet DSM-IV criteria for current marijuana dependence
  • Individuals must report using marijuana at least 20 days in the past 30 days and have a positive urine test for THC on the day of study entry.
  • Individual must describe marijuana as their primary drug of abuse.
  • Individuals must be capable of giving informed consent and capable of complying with study procedures.

You may not qualify if:

  • Meets DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective illness, psychotic disorder other than transient psychosis due to drug abuse, major depression, bipolar illness or psychiatric disorders (other than substance abuse) which require psychiatric intervention.
  • Unstable medication conditions, such as poorly controlled diabetes or hypertension (\>140/90 mmHg), which might make participation hazardous.
  • Individuals with liver enzyme function tests greater than three times normal, or acute hepatitis
  • Individuals with a history of a seizure disorder
  • Individuals with current suicidal risk.
  • Individuals who are cognitively impaired
  • Bradycardia (\< 50 beats/minute), hypotension (sitting or standing BP \< 90/50), or symptoms attributable to low BP (i.e. lightheadedness or dizziness on standing).
  • Nursing mothers and pregnant women. Women of child bearing age will be included in the study provided that they are not pregnant, based on the results of a blood pregnancy test drawn at the time of screening. They must also agree to use a method of contraception with proven efficacy and agree not to become pregnant during the study. To confirm this, urine pregnancy tests will be repeated monthly. Women will be provided a full explanation of the potential dangers of pregnancy while on the study medication. If a woman becomes pregnant, the study medication will be discontinued.
  • Individuals who are physiologically dependent on any other drugs (excluding nicotine) that would require a medical intervention
  • Individuals with known sensitivity to alpha-2 Agonists
  • Individuals with coronary vascular disease as indicated by history or suspected by abnormal ECG or history of cardiac symptoms
  • Individuals currently being treated with antihypertensive medication, including alpha-2 agonists
  • Individuals currently taking medications that may interact adversely with guanfacine.
  • Individuals who are court-mandated to treatment.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

STARS

New York, New York, 10032, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Marijuana Abuse

Interventions

Guanfacine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Substance-Related DisordersChemically-Induced DisordersMental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

GuanidinesAmidinesOrganic ChemicalsPhenylacetatesAcids, CarbocyclicCarboxylic Acids

Limitations and Caveats

Due to its open-label nature, it is not possible to determine whether the reductions in cannabis use were due to study drug, or whether they were related to other study procedures.

Results Point of Contact

Title
daniel brooks
Organization
NYSPI

Study Officials

  • Frances Levin, M.D.

    Columbia University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Elias Dakwar, M.D.

    Columbia University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 1
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Director of Substance Use Disorder

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 7, 2011

First Posted

November 9, 2011

Study Start

February 1, 2012

Primary Completion

April 1, 2016

Study Completion

October 1, 2016

Last Updated

February 5, 2019

Results First Posted

December 12, 2018

Record last verified: 2019-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations