Could one dose of methadone ease pain after spine surgery?
NCT ID NCT07517679
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether giving a single dose of methadone during spine surgery can improve pain control and reduce the need for other opioids afterward. About 30 adults having elective spine surgery will be randomly assigned to receive either methadone or standard pain medicine. Researchers will track pain scores and opioid use for 24 hours after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Methadone
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple way to better manage pain after spine surgery while reducing the need for other opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Methadone also carries risks like slowed breathing or heart rhythm changes.
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
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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 to 120 years
- 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.
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: * Undergoing elective spine surgery (e.g., fusion, decompression) * Expected postoperative inpatient admission * Able to provide informed consent * Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) may be included if on stable maintenance therapy Exclusion Criteria: * Use of regional or neuraxial anesthesia * Contraindication to methadone use (e.g., prolonged QTc, allergy, severe hepatic disease) * Cognitive impairment precluding consent or accurate pain scoring
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Kentucky
RECRUITINGLexington, Kentucky, 40536, United States
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