Could a 'Love Hormone' nasal spray curb binge eating?
NCT ID NCT05664516
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a nasal spray containing oxytocin (a natural hormone) can help adults with binge-eating disorder eat less often in binges. About 60 adults will receive either the oxytocin spray or a placebo for 8 weeks. Researchers will track changes in binge frequency and also look at how the spray affects reward sensitivity and impulse control.
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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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
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Feb 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 70 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: * Males and females, 18-70 years old * BMI greater than or equal to 18.5 * BED as assessed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5-RV) OR Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) - Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/or limited duration) (SCID-5-RV) OR Bulimia Nervosa (BN) through excessive exercise and/or fasting to avoid gaining weight after episodes of binge eating. For individuals with OSFED-BED, the frequency of subjective and objective binge eating episodes will meet the frequency (Criterion D) for BED. Exclusion Criteria: * Substance use disorder active within the last 6 months, or clinical suspicion of ongoing substance use disorder at the discretion of the study clinician at the time of screening based on history and/or laboratory results * Medication changes that have not reached steady state concentration, measured by the equivalent of 5 half-lives of that medication * Use of medications for binge eating disorder or weight loss unless at a stable dose for at least 12 weeks * History of any of the following medical conditions: inflammatory bowel disease or untreated thyroid disease * Uncontrolled epilepsy (as defined by a seizure within the last 12 months) * Clinically relevant ventricular arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, known long QTc, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy * Hematocrit \>2% below normal * Hemoglobin A1c \>8% * Use of insulin * ALT or AST \>2.5 times upper limit of normal * Glomerular filtration rate \< 60 mL/min * Hyponatremia. Note that, in order to be randomized, subjects must have Na ≥ 135 mEq/L. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Unwilling to use a medically acceptable form of contraception throughout the study period (female of child-bearing potential only) * History of psychosis or active suicidal ideation * Major depressive disorder likely to require initiation or change in active treatment * Borderline personality disorder as assessed by the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) * Current nicotine use, unless stable use for at least 12 weeks. * Participation in any clinical study involving an investigational drug, device, or biologic within 1 month of randomization * Any significant illness, condition, or medication that the Investigator determines could interfere with study participation and impact data collection or subject safety
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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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Neuroendocrine Unit Research Center
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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