Recruiting
Phase 1

Spironolactone

Sponsor:

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Code:

NCT05807139

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Placebo

Spironolactone

Study Details

Brief summary:

Background:

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects about 29.5 million people in the United States. Only 3 medicines have been approved by Food and Drug Administration to treat AUD. Researchers want to find better treatments for AUD. Animal studies found that a medicine called spironolactone, may decrease the amount of alcohol the animals drank. Spironolactone is approved to treat high blood pressure, or heart failure in people. It is not approved to treat AUD.

Objective:

To test a medicine (spironolactone) in people who sometimes drink excessive alcohol in order to understand how the body breaks down spironolactone and if there are any side effects in people who drink alcohol while taking this medicine.

Eligibility:

People aged 21 and older with AUD.

Design:

Participants will have 4 separate 7-day stays at a clinic in Baltimore over 2 months. Spironolactone is a capsule you swallow. Participants will take a capsule twice a day for 5 days during each clinic stay. During 1 of their 4 stays, they will take a placebo instead of the medicine. The placebo capsule looks just like the spironolactone capsule but contains no medicine. Participants will not know when they are taking the medicine or the placebo.

Participants will not drink alcohol until day 6 of each clinic stay. Then they will be asked to drink alcohol in a bar-like area in the clinic. Their breath and blood alcohol levels and their well-being will be measured.

Participants will undergo other tests in the clinic:

A DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan uses X-rays to measure bone density and muscle mass. Participants will lie on an open-top, padded table, then a small arm will scan the full length of their body. The radiation participants will get in this study is about the same as from one regular x-ray.

Blood tests. Participants may feel some discomfort at the site of needle entry.

Electrocardiogram. This test records the heart activity. Sensors are attached to the skin with stickers and removed after a few minutes.

Urine tests. All urine will be collected over a 3-day period during each stay. We will measure the amount of urine, and different hormones and salts in the urine.

Questionnaires and tasks. Participants will answer questions about their alcohol use. They will perform tasks to test mood, craving, mental and physical coordination, and how much they feel an effect from alcohol after drinking.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Study ID

NCT05807139

Start date

Jul 13, 2023

Status verified date

Sep 17, 2026

Completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to enroll in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

1. At least 21 years old
2. Alcohol Use Disorder (minimum 2 symptoms on a validated diagnostic tool, e.g., the Mini- International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID))
3. At least four days with >= 4 drinks for females or >= 5 drinks for males during the 28-day period prior to screening, according to alcohol TimeLine Follow Back (TLFB)
4. Most recent Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol - revised (CIWA-Ar) score is < 10
5. Able to speak, read, write, and understand English as demonstrated by their ability to understand and sign the consent for the NIDA screening protocol.
6. Female participants must be postmenopausal for at least one year, surgically sterile, or practicing a highly effective method of birth control before entry and throughout the study and must have negative pregnancy tests at each stage. Examples of highly effective methods of birth control include abstinence, hormonal contraceptives (e.g., certain birth control pills, contraceptive patch, vaginal ring, or implants), intrauterine device (IUD), tubal ligation, or vasectomy.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

1. Most recent blood tests: potassium > 5.2 mmol/L; creatinine >= 2 mg/dL; eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) > 6.5 %
2. Clinically significant and/or symptomatic hyponatremia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, and hyperuricemia based on Medical Advisory Investigators (MAI) or designee judgment.
3. Known history of clinically significant orthostatic hypotension
4. Known history of hypoaldosteronism, hyperaldosteronism, Addison s disease
5. Diagnosis of NYHA class III-IV heart failure, or unstable cardiovascular conditions (e.g., arrhythmias, clinically significant ECG abnormalities)
6. Current use of any diuretic, angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), potassium supplementation, potassium containing salt substitute, heparin and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), trimethoprim, lithium, digoxin, cholestyramine
7. Current use of MR antagonists
8. Current use of FDA-approved pharmacotherapy for AUD, or seeking treatment for AUD
9. Known history of prior hypersensitivity reaction to spironolactone or other MR antagonists, or any of the product components
10. Known history of alcohol withdrawal seizure and delirium tremens.
11. Physical and/or mental health conditions that are clinically unstable, as determined by the study clinicians, including (but not limited to) major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder unstable during the past three months or other psychiatric conditions (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) unstable during the past twelve months prior to screening.
12. Pregnancy, intention to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
13. Any other reason or clinical condition that the Investigators judge would interfere with study participation and/or be unsafe for a participant.

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Placebo 1st visit

stage 1: Placebostage 2: 2x50 mg/day spironolactonestage 3: 2x100 mg/day spironolactonestage4: 2x200 mg/day spironolactone

experimental: Placebo 2nd visit

stage 1: 2x50 mg/day spironolactonestage 2: Placebostage3: 2x100 mg/day spironolactonestage 4: 2x200 mg/day spironolactone

experimental: Placebo 3rd visit

stage1: 2x50 mg/day spironolactonestage 2: 2x100 mg/day spironolactonestage 3: Placebostage4: 2x200 mg/day spironolactone

experimental: Placebo 4th visit

Stage1: 2x50 mg/day spironolactoneStage 2: 2x100 mg/day spironolactonestage 3: 2x200 mg/day spironolactonestage 4: Placebo

Interventions

Placebo

Placebo

Spironolactone

Spironolactone and its matched placebo will be encapsulated into hard gelatin capsules, in same color, size and taste, to allow blinding.

Participants will receive 2x50 mg/day, 2x100 mg, and 2x200 mg/day in three sessions (Stages); these Visits always occur in ascending order of dosage. In the remaining session, participants receive the placebo.

Spironolactone is approved by the FDA, commercially available, and used in clinical practice for the treatment of hypertension, NYHA Class III-IV heart failure, edema in cirrhotic patients, and primary hyperaldosteronism. Comprehensive information about spironolactone, including its pharmacological properties, are provided in the Prescribing Information.

Primary outcome measure

  • Describe steady-state PK of spironolactone in individuals with AUD, before and after oral alcohol administration. [ Time Frame: Before and after oral alcohol administration. ]
  • Describe alcohol PK during concomitant spironolactone use [ Time Frame: 12 hours after oral alcohol administration ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Recruiting

Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Last update posted

Sep 21, 2026

Last verified

Sep 17, 2026

Keywords

  • Alcohol Consumption
  • Alcohol Problems
  • Alcohol Use Disorder
  • SPIRONOLACTONE
  • Mineralocorticoid Receptor

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-03. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on 2026-09-21. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.