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Can a sugar pill curb the opioid crisis?

NCT ID NCT03906721

Symptom relief Sponsor: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 04, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This pilot study tests whether a technique called conditioning with open-label placebo (COLP) can help patients with spinal cord injuries, polytrauma, or burns reduce their opioid painkiller doses without losing pain relief. Participants receive a sugar pill and an essential oil scent alongside their usual oxycodone, with the goal of maintaining the same pain control while lowering opioid exposure. The study measures changes in opioid use and pain scores to see if this approach is worth further investigation.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
A sugar pill (placebo) used with conditioning, alongside standard oxycodone and an essential oil scent
What this could lead to
If it works, this approach could help people with severe injuries get the same pain relief with lower opioid doses, reducing side effects and addiction risk.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study, so results may not apply broadly. The placebo effect can be unpredictable, and the approach may not work for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

20 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2019

Finished

Nov 2021

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women aged 18 or older with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI (ASIA A-D) polytrauma or burn injury patients from the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, * SCI, polytrauma or burn injury patients from the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and pain of no more 5 years of evolution, * Patients admitted to the Spaulding Comprehensive Rehabilitation Unit at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, * Who have; above, at, or sub-lesional neuropathic pain and/or nociceptive pain (musculoskeletal or visceral) that is moderate or severe in nature (average VAS scale score of 4 or greater at time of enrollment), * Respiratory and hemodynamically stable, * With current narcotic use for pain control, * Narcotic usage of no more than 120 mg of morphine equivalent Exclusion Criteria: * History of alcohol or drug dependence, as self-reported, * A history of bipolar disorder or psychosis, as self-reported, * Any substantial decrease in alertness, language reception, or attention that might interfere with understanding, * Current usage of narcotic medication with dosage higher than 120 mg of morphine equivalent or 80 mg of a short-acting oxycodone, * Current use of ventilator, * Compromised medical status due to uncontrolled pathology such as cancer, heart failure, kidney or liver insufficiency, or any other condition which jeopardises patient's participation to the study * Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Females in childbearing age who are eligible to participate in the study, will be tested for pregnancy by serum hCG test

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia burn Multiple Trauma spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Burn injury Pain management Polytrauma Spinal cord injuries

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.