Dose Ranging Study of Intravenous Oxytocin for Analgesia to Heat Pain
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This is a study of participants that will receive intravenous (IV) infusions of oxytocin
(naturally occurring hormone that is made by the brain).
In this study healthy participants will be recruited for the study. There will be 3 study
related visits: 1) screening and informed consent 2) study medication infusions and thermal
heat testing 3) study medication infusions and thermal heat testing. During study visits 2
and 3 an IV catheter will be placed and a dose of oxytocin or placebo (inactive solution)
will be given over a 10 minute period; 1 hour after the first infusion, a second 10 minute
infusion of oxytocin will be administered.
Investigators will perform some tests to evaluate how oxytocin changes perceptions of the
skin. Investigators will study a painful perception by placing a probe on the skin of the
side of lower leg and heating it up to 113-117 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (45-47 degrees Celsius
(C)) for 5 minutes. Each participant will score any pain that is experienced on a 0 to 10
scale for each minute during the heating period. Most people find that pain rises during the
5 minutes, but remains mild; usually less than 5 on the 0 to 10 pain scale. The temperature
of the 5 minute heating will be determined according to the participants pain rating during
the screening visit.
The primary objective of the study is to determine the dose response of IV oxytocin for
analgesia (pain relief) to experimental heat pain.