Antioxidant pill may cut opioid use after surgery
NCT ID NCT07227649
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether taking N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a common supplement, before and after hand or foot surgery can reduce pain and the need for opioid painkillers. About 80 adults will be randomly assigned to take NAC or a placebo for 14 days. Researchers will track pain, function, and recovery using daily surveys and blood tests.
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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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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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 75 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: * Elective outpatient hand/upper-extremity or foot/ankle surgery (single site; same-day discharge) * Baseline visit feasible ≤14 days pre-op * Can complete surveys/blood draw * Provides informed consent * Willing to follow dosing schedule and avoid restricted supplements/meds Exclusion Criteria: * Allergy to NAC/capsule components □ NAC or high-dose antioxidants in past 14 days (unwilling to stop) * Chronic daily opioids ≥3 months or OUD/maintenance therapy □ Pregnant/breastfeeding or no contraception as applicable * Daily nitrates (nitroglycerin/isosorbide) □ Planned \>24h admission, multistage/trauma case □ Other interventional study within 30 days * Unable to swallow capsules / malabsorption surgery affecting oral meds
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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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Banner Health
Tucson, Arizona, 85721, United States
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