Please sign in to follow a disease.
Could a common heart pill curb stress drinking?
NCT ID NCT03588754
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This small pilot study tested whether propranolol, a beta blocker usually used for high blood pressure, can reduce alcohol drinking triggered by stress. Twenty adults with alcohol use disorder were randomly assigned to take propranolol or a placebo for about two weeks, then completed two lab sessions where they were exposed to a stressful or relaxing situation and given access to alcohol. The goal was to see if propranolol lowered how much they drank after stress. The study was suspended, so results are not yet available.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Propranolol (a beta blocker, typically used for high blood pressure)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a medication that helps people with alcohol use disorder drink less when stressed.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (20 people) that was suspended, so results are limited. It may not work or may not apply to everyone with alcohol use disorder.
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
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2018
- Expected to finish
-
Aug 2027
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
-
21 to 65 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: 1. Age 21-65 2. Able to read and write English 3. Meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for current (past 6 months) alcohol use disorders 4. Able to take oral medications and willing to adhere to medication regimen Exclusion Criteria: 1. Participants with any significant current medical conditions. 2. Women who are pregnant or nursing, or fail to use one of the following methods of birth control unless she or partner is surgically sterile or she is postmenopausal (hormone contraceptives \[oral, implant, injection, patch, or ring\], contraceptive sponge, double barrier \[diaphragm or condom plus spermicide\], or IUD) 3. Suicidal, homicidal or evidence of current (past 6-month) mental illness. 4. Specific exclusions for administration of propranolol not already specified. 5. Subjects likely to exhibit clinically significant alcohol withdrawal during the study.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Alcohol drinking are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
-
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
-
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut, 06519, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can remote counseling help people with HIV cut back on alcohol?
- Can better server training stop drunk drivers before they start?
- Can Brain-Training games rewire the mind to fight alcohol addiction?
- Can a Stress-Hormone blocker take the edge off alcohol?
- Can MDMA plus therapy help veterans fight both PTSD and alcohol addiction?
- Brain scans probe opioid receptor imbalance in alcohol use disorder