Conditioned Open-label Placebos to Facilitate Opioid Reduction in Patients With Subacute or Chronic Pain Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Subacute Pain
In brief
This study aims to evaluate whether the reduction of the daily morphine equivalent dose (MED) in patients with subacute and chronic pain can be decreased with an open-label placebo (OLP) intervention in comparison to an electronic monitoring (EM) control group. The participants will receive the intervention (OPL or EM) over the duration of six weeks. Diverse psychological and health measures will be assessed with questionnaires over the course of the intervention. Furthermore, evaluation outcomes, qualitative outcomes and safety outcomes will be assessed. It is hypothesized that the OLP-intervention group in comparison to the EM-control group will have a significantly lower consumption of MED over the course of the study. Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate whether the OLP intervention can reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms in comparison to the control group.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06350786
- Run by
- Cosima Locher
- People needed
- 86
- Starts
- 2024-06-12
- Expected to finish
- 2026-09-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-06-15
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Signed Informed Consent
- ≥ 18 years of age
- German speaking
- Pain lasting ≥ 4 weeks, including subacute pain (4-12 weeks) and chronic pain (>12 weeks)
- Opioid medication for pain management for ≥ 4 weeks
- Oral intake of opioid medication
- Motivation for opioid reduction
- Participants have a primary treating physician who performs the reduction of the opioid medication
- Having access to a computer or tablet with an email-account
You may not qualify if…
- Having psychotic symptoms
- Suicidality
- Cognitive impairment to everyday life
- Planned surgery within the next two months that is expected to affect opioid intake
- Known illegal drug or harmful alcohol consumption
- Intolerance of the ingredients of the placebo pill (e.g., lactose, sucrose, corn-starch)
- Serious health problems that make study participation impossible
- Simultaneous participation in other studies with investigational drugs or pain specific interventions
Where it is running
- University Hospital Zurich, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine — Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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