Could a common nerve pain drug help control HIV and curb heavy drinking?
NCT ID NCT05443555
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests if gabapentin, a medication for nerve pain, can help people with HIV who drink heavily achieve undetectable viral loads. About 220 participants will receive either gabapentin or a placebo for 3 months, along with counseling. The goal is to see if the drug improves HIV control and reduces alcohol use.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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220 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Having an HIV diagnosis for at least 6 months * Current (within 2 months) detectable HIV viral load at least 6 months after HIV diagnosis * Positive EtG urine test * Able and willing to comply with all study protocols and procedures * Living within 2 hours travel time of the study site Exclusion Criteria: * Not fluent in English or Runyankole * Cognitive impairment resulting in inability to provide informed consent based on research assessor (RA) assessment * Pregnancy, planning to become pregnant in next 3 months, or breast feeding * Taking gabapentin/pregabalin in past 30 days * Taking any medication for alcohol use disorder * Enrolled in another HIV research study seeking viral load suppression * Known hypersensitivity to gabapentin * Unstable psychiatric illness (i.e., answered yes to any of the following: past three month active hallucinations; mental health symptoms prompting a visit to the emergency department (ED) or hospital; mental health medication changes due to worsening symptoms; presence of suicidal ideations)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH): Immune Suppression Syndrome HIV
Mbarara, Uganda
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