Can a common supplement curb opioid and cocaine cravings?
NCT ID NCT05610072
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at how the supplement n-acetylcysteine (NAC) affects brain glutamate levels and drug cravings in 12 people who use both opioids and cocaine. Participants were given either NAC or a placebo while on a steady dose of hydromorphone, and then underwent brain scans and hypothetical drug-purchase tasks. The goal was to see if NAC could reduce cravings during opioid withdrawal by fixing brain chemistry imbalances.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- n-acetylcysteine
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a treatment that reduces cravings for both opioids and cocaine by correcting brain chemistry.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase study with only 12 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The outcomes are based on hypothetical choices and brain scans, not real-world drug use.
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
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
12 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Dec 2022
- Finished
-
Mar 2026
- 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 to 55 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: 1. Between the ages of 18 and 55 years, 2. Report recent use of opioids and cocaine and must not be seeking treatment for their drug use, 3. Be physically dependent on short-acting opioids, 4. Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 diagnostic criteria for current opioid use disorder (OUD) and current or past cocaine use disorder (CUD) and have either a urine sample positive for recent opioid use during each visit or if opioid negative, displaying frank withdrawal during screening 5. Other than the diagnosis for opioid and cocaine use disorder at the time of the screening, subjects must be healthy, 6. Laboratory chemistries (e.g., blood chemistry screen, complete blood count, urinalysis) and electrocardiogram (ECG) results must be normal or within normal range and any abnormal results must be considered as not clinically significant by the study physicians, 7. No contraindications to magnetic resonance imagining (MRI; e.g., metallic objects in their body, BMI \> or = 40, claustrophobia) will be considered ineligible, 8. Female subjects must be using an effective form of birth control (e.g., birth control pills, surgical sterilization, intrauterine device, barrier method, condoms with spermicide, cervical cap with a spermicide or abstinence) to participate and must not be pregnant, 9. All study subjects will be judged by the medical staff to be psychiatrically and physically healthy. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any potential subject with a history of serious physical disease, current physical disease (e.g., impaired cardiovascular functioning, histories of seizure, head trauma, diabetes, asthma, or central nervous system \[CNS\] tumors) or current or past histories of serious psychiatric disorder (e.g., schizophrenia) that would limit compliance in the study, other than substance use disorder, will be excluded from research participation, 2. Potential subjects that meet diagnostic criteria for moderate - severe substance use disorder for substances other than opioids, stimulants, cannabis, or nicotine at the time of the interview will not be eligible for study participation, 3. Subjects who report a positive first-degree family history of schizophrenia, serious cardiovascular disease, or seizure disorders will also be excluded from research participation. 4. Subjects with contraindications to hydromorphone or n-acetylcysteine will not be eligible.
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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
-
University of Kentucky Department of Behavioral Science
Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0086, United States
-
University of Kentucky Laboratory of Human Behavioral Pharmacology
Lexington, Kentucky, 40507, United States
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