Alkontrol-herbal Effects on Alcohol Drinking

NCT ID: NCT03099590

Last Updated: 2020-07-29

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 28 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2020-07-01

Brief Summary

Participants will enroll in a 14-week study (2 weeks of baseline, 8 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks of follow-up) investigating the impact that Alkontrol-herbal (Isoflavone; Kudzu) has on alcohol intake in a population seeking treatment for an alcohol use disorder.

Detailed Description

Over the past 15 years, the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Lab at McLean Hospital has extensively studied kudzu extract and demonstrated its safety and efficacy in healthy control subjects as well as in heavy binge drinkers. The relative success of our recent outpatient trial of kudzu extract demonstrated a modest decrease in drinking, reduction in the number of heavy drinking days, and significant increase in the number of days abstinent. This suggests that Alkontrol-herbal, kudzu extract, may be a useful adjunct in treating alcohol use disorders.

Participants will enroll in a 14-week study (2 weeks of baseline, 8 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks of follow-up) investigating the impact that Alkontrol-herbal has on alcohol intake in a population (age 21-60 years) seeking treatment for an alcohol use disorder. Participants will take 500 mg of a crude kudzu extract (NPI-031, Alkontrol-herbal; Natural Pharmacia International, Burlington, MA) t.i.d.; matched sugar beet placebo capsules will serve as placebo. Subjects will come to the lab three times a week to provide urine samples that can be tested for medication compliance through a biochemical marker, acetazolamide, included in the medication capsules. Participants will record their alcohol intake through daily diaries and a wrist actigraphy device, which will also monitor their sleep/wake activity.

Conditions

Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol Use Disorder; Alcohol Abstinence

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Active Treatment, Alkontrol-herbal

Alkontrol-herbal, a kudzu extract which contains 19% puerarin, 4% daidzin and 2% daidzein, so each capsule contains a total of 25% active isoflavones or 125 mg.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

kudzu extract, puerarin

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Capsules containing 500 mg of a crude kudzu extract (NPI-031, Alkontrol-herbal; Natural Pharmacia International, Burlington, MA) will be used, containing 19% puerarin, 4% daidzin and 2% daidzein, so each capsule contains a total of 25% active isoflavones or 125 mg.

Placebo Control

Matched dextran containing capsules will serve as placebo.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo control

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Matched sugar beet placebo capsules will serve as placebo.

Interventions

kudzu extract, puerarin

Capsules containing 500 mg of a crude kudzu extract (NPI-031, Alkontrol-herbal; Natural Pharmacia International, Burlington, MA) will be used, containing 19% puerarin, 4% daidzin and 2% daidzein, so each capsule contains a total of 25% active isoflavones or 125 mg.

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo control

Matched sugar beet placebo capsules will serve as placebo.

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Other Intervention Names

Alkontrol-herbal

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Subject can understand and comply with the protocol
• Good physical and mental health (normal physical exam, ECG, blood and urine chemistries, including absence of history or laboratory evidence of diabetes)
• Body Mass Index between 18-30, inclusive
• Age 21-60 years (age will be verified by driver's license or other valid form of identification)
• Meet criteria for current Moderate or Severe (4+ symptoms) Alcohol Use Disorder per the DSM-5; If attending a self-help treatment group (e.g., AA) at time of the screening visit, subject must agree to continue attending these groups for the duration of the study
• Seeking treatment for an Alcohol Use Disorder
• Drink 20-35 (or more) drink per week
• Report drinking on 80% of days in the past 90 days
• Have a stable living situation with current postal address

Exclusion Criteria

• Subject meets DSM-5 criteria for major depression and/or bipolar disorder, and is not medically, pharmacologically, or clinically stable. Subjects who currently meet criteria for minor depression or bipolar disorder and have been clinically stable (including medications) for the past 2 months may participate in the study, at the investigator's discretion
• Concurrent diagnosis of any other Axis I disorder, including any substance use disorder besides alcohol use disorder Maintained on an antipsychotic or anti-seizure medication; Current prescription for benzodiazepines
• Presence of neurological, infectious, or neoplastic disease or a chronic medical disorder
• Tobacco use greater than 10 cigarettes per day
• Currently abstaining from consuming alcoholic beverages longer than 10 days
• History of major head trauma resulting in cognitive impairment or history of seizure disorder
• Heavy caffeine use (greater than 500 mg on a regular, daily basis)
• Subject has active hepatitis and/or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 3x the upper limit of normal
• For female volunteers, a positive pregnancy test (female subjects must agree to an approved method of contraception for the duration of the study)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 21 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Mclean Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Scott Lukas

Director - McLean Imaging Center

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

McLean Hospital

Belmont, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

2017P000109

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id