The Effects of Hydromorphone on Responses to Verbal Tasks

Not Applicable

Completed

Interventions: Drug: 2 mg hydromorphone
Drug: 4 mg hydromorphone
Drug: 1000 mg Acetaminophen
Drug: dextrose

Brief Summary: In this study, the investigators will examine the effects of hydromorphone, as compared to placebo, upon physiological, subjective, and hormonal responses to a stressful speech task and a non-stressful control task in healthy adults. There is strong evidence in support of the role of endogenous opioids and opiates in mediating social behavior in humans and other animals, and particularly, in social distress. The investigators have recently shown that buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid agonist, reduces cortisol responses to stress. Here, the investigators propose to further explore the role of the opioid system in mediating stress responses in humans through the use of hydromorphone, a full mu opioid agonist, in addition to acetaminophen. The investigators hypothesize that like acetaminophen, hydromorphone will reduce both physiological and subjective measures of stress.

Detailed Description: Participants be randomly assigned to receive 1000 mg acetaminophen, 2mg hydromorphone, 4mg hydromorphone, or placebo at each of two sessions; one during which they well participate in a stressful speaking task, and one during which they'll participate in a nonstressful control task. Physiological and subjective measures will be taken throughout each session.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

any current medical condition requiring medication or abnormal electrocardiogram
current or past medical condition considered to be a contraindication for the study conditions
any current Axis I psychiatric disorder (APA, 1994) including Substance Use Disorder, or Anxiety Disorder or Major Depression in the past year, any history of psychosis
less than high school education
lack of fluency in English
night shift work
Pregnancy, lactation or plans to become pregnant.
Use of hormonal contraception.
Daily cigarette smokers i.e., >7 cigarettes per week

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
2 mg hydromophone	2 mg hydromorphone	Healthy adult volunteers will receive 2 mg hydromophone. Hydromorphone is a mu-opioid agonist used clinically for pain management. Plasma concentrations of hydromorphone peak approximately 60 min after ingestion.
4 mg hydromphone	4 mg hydromorphone	Healthy adult volunteers will receive 4 mg hydromophone. Hydromorphone is a mu-opioid agonist used clinically for pain management. Plasma concentrations of hydromorphone peak approximately 60 min after ingestion
1000 mg acetaminophen	1000 mg Acetaminophen	Healthy adult volunteers will receive 1000 mg acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is a COX inhibitor that is used clinically as an analgesic and antipyretic. The dose administered here has been shown to reduce neural and subjective responses to social rejection, and it also peaks about 60 min after ingestion.
Dextrose	dextrose	Healthy adult volunteers will recieve Dextrose (placebo).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Subjective Effects as Assessed by Score on "Feel Drug", "Feel High", "Like Drug", and "Want More" Subscales of the Drug Effects Questionnaire	End of study (time 0 and approximately 4 weeks later), week 4 reported.	The Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ) is a visual analog scale questionnaire that assesses the extent to which subjects experience four subjective states: "Feel Drug", "Feel High", "Like Drug", and "Want More". The "Feel Drug", "Feel High", "Like Drug", and "Want More" subscales are reported. All subscales are scored on a visual analogue scale (scroll bar on computer screen) ranging from 0-100. 100 represents the highest score for that subjective state, and the higher the score, the worse the outcome. The values shown below are only from week 4

Secondary Outcome Measures