Gabapentin to help reduce drinking and improve HIV viral suppression
Official title: Gabapentin to Reduce Alcohol and Improve Viral Load Suppression - Promoting "Treatment as Prevention"
Funded at Boston Medical Center · NIH-11402339 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial tests whether gabapentin helps people living with HIV who drink heavily cut back on alcohol and reach undetectable viral loads.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $228,745 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AA030460-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402339 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with HIV who drink heavily and had a detectable viral load within the past year, who can take gabapentin and attend study visits, would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not drink heavily, already have stable undetectable viral loads, are allergic to gabapentin, pregnant, or have medical reasons preventing gabapentin use may not receive benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be randomly assigned to take gabapentin or a placebo, and neither you nor the study team will know which you receive. Researchers will track your alcohol use, HIV medication adherence, and viral load through regular clinic visits and lab tests. The main goal is to see whether reducing drinking with gabapentin helps people with HIV get and keep an undetectable viral load. The trial focuses on people who had a detectable viral load in the past year despite being prescribed HIV treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people with HIV who drink heavily reduce alcohol use and achieve viral suppression, lowering their risk of health problems and HIV transmission.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows gabapentin can decrease alcohol consumption and treat neuropathic pain, but its impact on achieving HIV viral suppression has not been established.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Samet, Jeffrey H. — Boston Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Samet, Jeffrey H.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.