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Acute Post-operative PainPhase 2NCT05611749

Duloxetine Impact on Postoperative Pain Control and Outcomes

A Phase 2 study testing Duloxetine 60 MG in people with Acute Post-operative Pain and Chronic Post Operative Pain, run by Scripps Health at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

1. Evaluate differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative narcotic consumption. 2. Evaluate differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative pain, function, and quality of life. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 24 to 99 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Duloxetine 60 MG
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
17 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
30 May 2023to 25 Mar 2024
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 24 to 99 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age: > 24 years
  • Male / Female not meeting any of the exclusion criteria

Who cannot join

  • Age < 24 years
  • Current use of antidepressant medications (including SSRI/SNRI, tricyclic, or Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors)
  • History of seizure disorder
  • Diagnosis of bipolar disorder
  • History of syncope/orthostatic hypotension
  • Diagnosis of any condition with slowed gastric emptying
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  • History of suicidal ideation
  • History of liver disease
  • History of chronic kidney disease/renal impairment
  • History of angle-closure glaucoma.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines

    La Jolla, California, 92037

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Postoperative Duloxetine Impact on Pain Control and Patient Outcomes Following Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  1. Evaluate differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative narcotic consumption.
  2. Evaluate differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative pain, function, and quality of life.
  3. Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function).
Read the detailed description

It is widely accepted that over-prescription of narcotics by medical providers has played a significant role in the recent uptick in the nationwide opioid crisis facing American society. As such, a tremendous amount of research within the surgical community has been dedicated to reducing the need for narcotics in the acute postoperative period. Anti-depressants, including tricyclics as well as selective serotonin inhibitors (both SSRIs and SNRIs), have been identified in several trials as having potential benefit for treating acute postoperative pain.

Duloxetine (an SNRI) has been approved by the FDA for treating mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety as well as chronic musculoskeletal pain. Previous studies have established its efficacy in treating acute postoperative pain following orthopaedic procedures such as total joint arthroplasty, even with relatively short durations of treatment. Specifically, previous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that perioperative duloxetine leads to decreased narcotics consumption as well as improved function scores in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

While there has been a fair amount of research within the arthroplasty literature, there is minimal research to date investigating the potential benefits of this medication in the spine literature. Lateral interbody fusion is a commonly performed procedure where an interbody spacer (typically made of either PEEK or titanium) is placed between two adjacent vertebrae. This is usually done with the goal of increasing the space between the bones and/or to fuse the two bones together, thereby reducing the amount of motion that occurs during activities of daily living. To this point, there has not been any studies looking at the use of duloxetine's effect with regards to perioperative narcotics consumption and patient outcomes after lumbar fusion.

Being tested
Duloxetine 60 MG, Placebo
Keywords
Acute pain, Chronic pain, narcotic consumption, patient outcomes
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative, Opioid-Related Disorders, Acute Pain, Chronic Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Duloxetine 60 MGDrug

    Also called Drizalma Sprinkle, Cymbalta, Irenka

    Looking at the use of duloxetine's effect with regards to perioperative narcotics consumption and patient outcomes after lumbar fusion.

  • PlaceboOther

    Duloxetine versus placebo in reducing postoperative narcotic consumption among patients undergoing lateral lumbar interbody fusions

Study groups in NCT05611749
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
control group receiving a placeboPlacebo comparatorThe study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. The balance of the remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.
Receives: Other: Placebo
treatment group receiving 60 mg DuloxetineExperimentalThe study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. The balance of the remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.
Receives: Drug: Duloxetine 60 MG

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Evaluating the amount of change in pain, for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Evaluate the effectiveness of Duloxetine versus placebo through the assessment of postoperative narcotic consumption.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  2. Measuring the amount of change in pain, for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Measure the differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative pain.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  3. Evaluating the amount of change in function for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Evaluate the effectiveness of Duloxetine versus placebo through the assessment of postoperative narcotic consumption.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  4. Measuring the amount of change in function for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Measure the differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative pain.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  5. Evaluating the amount of change in narcotic consumption for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Evaluate the effectiveness of Duloxetine versus placebo through the assessment of postoperative narcotic consumption.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  6. Measuring the amount of change in narcotic consumption for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion

    Measure the differences between patients taking Duloxetine or placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion for postoperative pain.

    Measured: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.

  7. Measuring the general domains of health with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at baseline visit

  8. Measuring the general domains of function with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at baseline visit

  9. Measuring the general domains of health with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 2 week post-op visit

  10. Measuring the general domains of function with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 2 week post-op visit

  11. Measuring the general domains of health with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 4 week post-op visit

  12. Measuring the general domains of function with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 4 week post-op visit

  13. Measuring the general domains of health with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 8 week post-op visit

  14. Measuring the general domains of function with PROMIS Global questionnaire

    The PROMIS Global questionnaire is a patient reported outcome that evaluates and identifies the life domains in areas such as physical, mental and social health. Scoring for the questionnaire is out of 50 points and the higher the score the healthier the patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the PROMIS Global at 8 week post-op visit

  15. Patient's anxiety symptoms severity at baseline visit

    The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is an assessment tool to measure the changes in a treatments progress and provide guidance for treatment decisions, interventional targets and give assistance in differential diagnosis. Scoring for this measure is based off the patient reporting anxiety symptoms on a Likert scale. The scale scoring is rom 1- 21. The lower the score the less the severity of anxiety symptoms being reported by a patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the GAD-7 at the baseline visit

  16. Patient's anxiety symptoms severity at eight week visit

    The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is an assessment tool to measure the changes in a treatments progress and provide guidance for treatment decisions, interventional targets and give assistance in differential diagnosis. Scoring for this measure is based off the patient reporting anxiety symptoms on a Likert scale. The scale scoring is rom 1- 21. The lower the score the less the severity of anxiety symptoms being reported by a patient.

    Measured: Patients will be asked to complete the GAD-7 at the 8 week post-op visit.

  17. Measuring a patient's baseline visit for severity of depression symptoms with Beck's Depression Inventory

    The Beck's Depression Inventory questionnaire is a patient self-reporting measurement of a patients symptoms and the related characteristic and attitudes pertaining to depression. This measure is cored on a scale 0-3 on 21 questions. The higher the score the worse the outcome is for the severity of depression.

    Measured: Patient s will complete the Beck's Depression Inventory at the baseline visit.

  18. Measuring a patient's eight week visit for severity of depression symptoms with Beck's Depression Inventory

    The Beck's Depression Inventory questionnaire is a patient self-reporting measurement of a patients symptoms and the related characteristic and attitudes pertaining to depression. This measure is cored on a scale 0-3 on 21 questions. The higher the score the worse the outcome is for the severity of depression.

    Measured: Patient s will complete the Beck's Depression Inventory at the 8 week post-op visit.

  19. Measuring at the baseline of a patient's hypersensitivity to noxious and non-noxious stimuli with the Central Sensitization Inventory

    The Central Sensitization inventory is a patient self reporting on the severity of their central sensitization pain they are experiencing. The pain severity is scored from 0-100 ( (subclinical= 0-29), (mild=30-39), (moderate=40-49), (severe= 50-59) and (extreme=60-100). The higher the score equates to the worse the outcome.

    Measured: Patients will complete the Central Sensitization Inventory at the baseline visit.

  20. Measuring at eight weeks to evaluate a patient's hypersensitivity to noxious and non-noxious stimuli with the Central Sensitization Inventory

    The Central Sensitization inventory is a patient self reporting on the severity of their central sensitization pain they are experiencing. The pain severity is scored from 0-100 ( (subclinical= 0-29), (mild=30-39), (moderate=40-49), (severe= 50-59) and (extreme=60-100). The higher the score equates to the worse the outcome.

    Measured: Patients will complete the Central Sensitization Inventory at the 8 week post-op visit.

  21. Baseline to measure a patient's catastrophic thinking in relation to adults with or without chronic pain.

    The Pain Catastrophizing Scale is measure that a patient self-reports their thoughts and feelings that may be associated to the pain that they may or may not be experiencing. The scoring of this scale is as follows: 0=not at all, 1=to a slight degree, 2=to a moderate degree, 3= to a great degree, 4= all the time. The higher the score equals the worse the outcome

    Measured: The patient will complete the Pain Catastrophizing Scale at the baseline visit.

  22. Eight week measurement of a patient's catastrophic thinking in relation to adults with or without chronic pain.

    The Pain Catastrophizing Scale is measure that a patient self-reports their thoughts and feelings that may be associated to the pain that they may or may not be experiencing. The scoring of this scale is as follows: 0=not at all, 1=to a slight degree, 2=to a moderate degree, 3= to a great degree, 4= all the time. The higher the score equals the worse the outcome

    Measured: The patient will complete the Pain Catastrophizing Scale at the 8 week post-op visit.

  23. Two week evaluation of amount of change in post-op pain improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 2 weeks.

  24. Four week evaluation of amount of change in post-op pain improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 4 weeks.

  25. Eight week evaluataion of amount of change in post-op pain improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 8 weeks.

  26. Two week evaluation of amount of change in post-op quality of life improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 2 weeks

  27. Four week evaluation of amount of change in post-op quality of life improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 4 weeks.

  28. Eight week evaluation of amount of change in post-op quality of life improvement

    Evaluate the correlation between preoperative screening tests (measuring pain centralization, anxiety, depression, and overall function) and patients' response to treatment (reduction in pain, anxiety, or depression and improvement in function). Continued use of previously mentioned patient reported outcomes will be measured at the designated time points

    Measured: Patients to be evaluated at post-op at 8 weeks.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Nov 2022
  2. Study start30 May 2023
  3. Primary completion25 Mar 2024
  4. Study completion25 Mar 2024

Why it stopped: Enrollment was extremely low and there were too many adverse events.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Patients will be randomized to either a control group receiving a placebo (n=65) or a treatment group receiving 60 mg Duloxetine (a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) (n=65). Surgeons, patients, research staff, PACU staff, and floor staff will be blinded to group allocation.
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
17 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05611749
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB-21-7830
Status last verified
Apr 2025
First submitted
2 Aug 2022
Last updated
4 May 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Duloxetine 60 MG in people with Acute Post-operative Pain and Chronic Post Operative Pain, run by Scripps Health at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Enrollment was extremely low and there were too many adverse events.). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Evaluating the amount of change in pain, for patients prescribed Duloxetine versus those patients prescribed the placebo following lateral lumbar interbody fusion (time frame: The study medication (either placebo or Duloxetine) will be continued throughout the duration of hospitalization. Remaining pills will be provided to the patient as a discharge prescription to allow for 10 days total treatment.). The study lists 28 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 May 2025.

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