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Honest placebos: can empty pills ease chronic pain?

NCT ID NCT07735520

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Maryland, Baltimore Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 30, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This trial tests whether taking a placebo pill that patients know is inactive — called an open-label placebo — can help reduce chronic pain from temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Some participants also receive a brief behavioral session to boost their expectations. The study focuses on whether this approach is feasible and acceptable, not yet on whether it works.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
open-label placebo pills (empty capsules) with or without an expectation-optimization behavioral intervention
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, safe, and low-cost way to help people with chronic pain using the power of expectation, without active drugs.
What could go wrong
This is a small early feasibility trial, not designed to prove effectiveness. The placebo effect may not be strong enough to provide meaningful pain relief for everyone.

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

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

About 57 people

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

Expected to start

Jul 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2029

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 years and older

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: * English speaking (written and spoken) * Age between 18 and 65 years * Confirmed TMD for more than 3 months * Grade II or above on the Graded Chronic Pain Scale Exclusion Criteria: * Personal (or family first degree) history of mania, schizophrenia, or other psychoses * Severe psychiatric conditions require medication (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, autism) or hospitalization within the last 3 years. * Lifetime alcohol/drug dependence and alcohol/drug abuse in past one year * Pregnancy/Breastfeeding * Currently participating in another clinical trial

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

temporomandibular joint disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

How to take part

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

  1. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  2. 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.

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.