Endocannabinoids, Stress, Craving And Pain Effects (ESCAPE) Study
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Opioid use disorder (OUD) represents one of the most severe public health crises, with more
than 2 million individuals affected in the United States. Existing treatments do not target
and restore several key alterations triggering opioid craving and relapse, including
increased response to stress, mood disturbances and greater sensitivity to pain, which are
caused by prolonged exposure to opioids. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
study will investigate the effects that palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous molecule
part of the endocannabinoid system available as a dietary supplement, exerts on these
alterations and their underlying mechanisms, with the goal of identifying a novel therapeutic
approach to reduce craving and prevent relapse in patients with OUD.