Small study probes brain effects of mixing opioids and benzodiazepines

NCT ID NCT05006079

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Wayne State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study is testing how opioids (morphine) and benzodiazepines (alprazolam) affect mood, anxiety, and thinking when taken alone or together. Researchers will give 24 people with a history of using these drugs single doses in a lab and measure their responses. The goal is to understand the effects of combining these substances, which could inform future treatments or policies for polydrug abuse.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Morphine and Alprazolam
What this could lead to: If successful, this could help understand how combining opioids and benzodiazepines affects people, potentially guiding better treatment or policies for polydrug abuse.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study with only 24 participants, so results may not apply broadly. It tests single doses in a lab, not real-world use, and may not lead to direct treatments.

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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

About 24 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2024

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

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 65 years

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: * must self-report past 10-year experience taking opioid and sedative drugs (for therapeutic or non-therapeutic reasons), but not necessarily at the same time. As an alternative to the sedative drug exposure requirement, participants must have used alcohol on at least 3 separate days during the past month. Participants may have current mild- or moderate-severity Opioid Use Disorder or current mild- or moderate-severity Sedative Use Disorder; * must not be seeking treatment for their substance use problems; * must be in current good overall health Exclusion Criteria: * meet DSM-5 criteria for current psychosis, bipolar disorder, or severe depression (i.e. severe psychiatric disorder); * meet DSM-5 criteria for severe substance use disorder for any substance (e.g. Sedative, Opioid, Alcohol); * past-month benzodiazepine or opioid prescription (which would suggest daily use, tolerance, or withdrawal upon cessation); * report of past-year any-drug overdose or suicide attempt/ideation; * exhibit cognitive impairment (IQ \< 80 on the Shipley Institute of Living Scale); * neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or systemic diseases (see specific exclusionary conditions under Protection of Human Subjects); * body mass index \> 38 kg/m2; * females who are pregnant (urine), lactating or heterosexually active (self-report) and not using medically approved birth control; * treatment with methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone; * past 30-day use of contraindicated medications; * alcohol-positive breath sample (\>.02% breath alcohol concentration); * urine sample positive for methadone, cocaine, amphetamines, or barbiturates (\<300 ng/ml) * intolerance of lactose

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

opiate dependence opioid abuse polysubstance abuse, susceptibility to

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Benzodiazepine abuse Opioid abuse Polysubstance abuse

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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.

Small study probes brain effects of mixing opioids and benzodiazepines

What the study statuses mean