Can a pharmacist help patients cut opioids before joint surgery?
NCT ID NCT05788016
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a pharmacist-led program can help patients reduce their opioid use by about half in the weeks before knee or hip replacement surgery. 45 adults on stable, moderate-dose opioids will work with a pharmacist to create a taper plan and get weekly check-ins. The goal is to see if the approach is practical and acceptable to patients.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- opioid taper (behavioural intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a safe way to reduce opioid use before joint replacement surgery, potentially lowering risks and improving recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase study with only 45 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The taper may be difficult for some patients to complete.
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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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2024
- 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 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.
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: * decided to pursue primary, unilateral total knee or hip arthroplasty with planned surgery date in 4-8 weeks * currently taking between 20 and 90 MME of oral opioids, and that dose has been stable for at least 3 months * have a reliable telephone number for contact * speaks English Exclusion Criteria: * Taking opioid medications that include: * Buprenorphine * Methadone * Long-acting formulations of opioid pain medications (e.g., extended-release oxycodone and extended-release morphine) * Transdermal formations of opioid pain medications (e.g., fentanyl patches)
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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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UAB Hospital-Highlands
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35205, United States
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