Could a heart drug rewire the brain to ease chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT05085782
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a new approach for chronic low-back pain and fibromyalgia in 48 adults. Participants received pain education plus propranolol (a blood pressure drug) to help the brain 'relearn' and reduce pain. The goal was to see if the treatment is feasible and acceptable, and to measure its effect on pain and function one month later.
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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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48 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2022
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- 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 65 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * French speaking * Suffering from \[chronic low back pain OR fibromyalgia\] for \>6 months * Average pain at least 4/10 * Central sensitization (assessed via a standardized physiotherapy evaluation and the Central Sensitization Inventory) Exclusion Criteria: * Health condition for which propranolol is contra-indicated * Medication with which co-administration of propranolol is contra-indicated * Severe or uncontrolled neurological/psychiatric condition (including post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, etc.) * Surgery of the lower-back in the last 3 years * Litigation surrounding the painful condition
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CRCHUS: Centre de recherche du centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H5N4, Canada
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Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement (CdRV)
Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 4C4, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can qigong loosen the grip of fibromyalgia? trial tests two styles
- Can naming your feelings predict back pain relief?
- Can a light bulb dial down chronic pain?
- Can a Hands-On nerve technique ease Fibromyalgia's grip?
- Why some days hurt more: charting Fibromyalgia's daily swings