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. 2022 Jan 17:12:804997.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.804997. eCollection 2021.

Intranasal Oxytocin for Stimulant Use Disorder Among Male Veterans Enrolled in an Opioid Treatment Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Christopher S Stauffer  1   2   3 , Salem Samson  4 , Alex Hickok  1   2 , William F Hoffman  1   2 , Steven L Batki  3
Affiliations

Intranasal Oxytocin for Stimulant Use Disorder Among Male Veterans Enrolled in an Opioid Treatment Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Christopher S Stauffer et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of illicit stimulant use among those in opioid treatment programs poses a significant risk to public health, stimulant users have the lowest rate of retention and poorest outcomes among those in addiction treatment, and current treatment options are limited. Oxytocin administration has shown promise in reducing addiction-related behavior and enhancing salience to social cues. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of intranasal oxytocin administered twice daily for 6 weeks to male Veterans with stimulant use disorder who were also receiving opioid agonist therapy and counseling (n = 42). There was no significant effect of oxytocin on stimulant use, stimulant craving, or therapeutic alliance over 6 weeks. However, participants receiving oxytocin (vs. placebo) attended significantly more daily opioid agonist therapy dispensing visits. This replicated previous work suggesting that oxytocin may enhance treatment engagement among individuals with stimulant and opioid use disorders, which would address a significant barrier to effective care.

Keywords: amphetamine-related disorders; methadone; opiate substitution treatment; opioid-related disorders; oxytocin; stimulant; treatment adherence and compliance; veterans.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stimulant use and craving by study drug: (A) mean self-reported stimulant use using the Timeline Follow-back, (B) mean self-reported stimulant craving using the Stimulant Craving Questionnaire-Brief (STCQ-Br), and (C) proportion stimulant-positive urine toxicology. Error bars, Standard Error of the Mean.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Change in therapeutic alliance after six weeks of oxytocin vs. placebo using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR): (A) WAI-SR, patient version and (B) WAI-SR-T, therapist version. *Participants with ACE ≥4.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean opioid treatment program clinic attendance (proportion of weekly scheduled visits attended) over 6 weeks by study drug.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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