Long-term high-dose lisdexamfetamine treatment for methamphetamine use disorder
Official title: Exploring Feasibility and Acceptability of Prolonged Administration of High-Dose Stimulants in People With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: An Extension of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Run by Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) · NCT06788587 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will try giving adults with moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder a 25-week course of high-dose lisdexamfetamine plus their usual care to see if it helps them stay in treatment and cut down on methamphetamine use compared with placebo.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 2 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 18 Years to 55 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 80 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Montreal, Quebec) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 18, 2025 |
| Main results expected | August 2027 |
| Study ends | December 2027 |
| Registry record updated | February 23, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06788587 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are adults aged 18–55 with moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder who completed the parent ASCME trial at the CHUM Quebec site, have ongoing use, craving, or relapse risk, and can attend weekly clinic visits.
✕Probably not a fit
People who did not complete the parent trial, who do not have moderate-to-severe MUD, who are pregnant or planning pregnancy, or who are stable without ongoing use or relapse risk are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, dose-ascending, placebo-controlled extension trial conducted at CHUM in Montreal, enrolling 62–80 participants who completed the parent ASCME trial at the Quebec site. Participants are randomized to weekly high-dose lisdexamfetamine plus treatment-as-usual or placebo plus treatment-as-usual for a 25-week medication period and will attend weekly clinic visits. Urine samples and questionnaires are collected regularly (biweekly urines during Weeks 1–25 and additional samples at Weeks 26 and 30) to track adherence, retention, and methamphetamine use. The primary focus is feasibility outcomes including study retention, treatment retention, adherence, and participant satisfaction compared against placebo.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help people stay in treatment longer, reduce methamphetamine use, and lower the risk of relapse.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials of prescription stimulants for stimulant use disorders have shown some promising short-term results, but long-term, high-dose lisdexamfetamine maintenance remains largely untested and this protocol is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Between 18 and 55 years of age at enrollment in the parent ASCME trial; 2. Diagnosed with a moderate to severe MUD as defined by the DSM-5 criteria; 3. Enrolled in the parent ASCME trial and completed the study up to and including the end of study visit at Week 20, Day 1; 4. Interested in avoiding relapse, decreasing methamphetamine use, or abstaining from methamphetamine use; 5. Presence of ongoing substance use, craving, or significant risk of relapse that according to the study physician, warrants extended treatment for MUD; 6. If female: * Be of non-childbearing potential, defined as (i) postmenopausal (12 months of spontaneous amenorrhea and ≥ 45 years of age); or (ii) documented surgically sterilized (i.e., tubal ligation, hysterectomy, or bilateral oophorectomy); or * Be of childbearing potential, have a negative pregnancy test at screening, and agree to use an acceptable method of birth control throughout the study; 7. Willing to be randomized to one of 2 study arms and followed for the duration of the trial; 8. Able to start the study intervention within 28 days after completing the ASCME main trial (study no. CRISM-002); 9. Able to provide informed consent; 10. Willing to comply with study procedures; 11. Able to communicate in English or French Exclusion Criteria: 1. Symptomatic or advanced cardiovascular disease (e.g., advanced arteriosclerosis), moderate hypertension; confirmed current hyperthyroidism; known hypersensitivity or idiosyncrasy to the sympathomimetic amines or glaucoma or any disabling, severe, or unstable medical condition (including electrolyte disturbances) that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation or the ability to provide fully informed consent; 2. Any severe or unstable co-morbid substance use disorder that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the study; 3. Participants with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) who have been on Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) for \<12 weeks, and not yet at stabilization dose, or at stabilization dose \<4 weeks; 4. Current or a history of any serious psychiatric disorder (e.g., bipolar disorder, pre-existing psychosis, schizophrenia) that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the study; 5. History of a SAE, hypersensitivity or known allergic reaction to LDX-01 or other amphetamine drugs, or hypersensitivity to the sympathomimetic amines; 6. Pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant during the study period; 7. Planned extended absence during the study period (e.g., pending legal action, surgery, incarceration, inpatient residential program) in the opinion of the study physician that might prevent completion of the study; 8. Use of an investigational drug for stimulant use disorder during the 30 days before screening, confirmed via self-report or pharmacy records; excluding the use of study medication in the parent ASCME trial; 9. Use of prescribed amphetamine-type medication or medication for the treatment of stimulant use disorder (e.g., methylphenidate, modafinil, bupropion, or mirtazapine) in the 4 weeks before screening; 10. Current or anticipated need for treatment with any medication that may interact with LDX-01 (e.g., monoamine oxidase inhibitors \[MAOIs\]) used currently or within the past 14 days and that would preclude study participant at the discretion of the study physician; 11. ECG measurement (Bazett method for the correction of QT interval) that indicates a prolonged QTc interval (≥460 milliseconds for females and ≥450 milliseconds for males) at screening; 12. Any SAEs related to the study product in the parent trial phase that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the extension study; 13. Any compliance issues related to the study product and/or study procedures during the parent trial phase that, in the opinion of the study physician, precludes safe participation in the extension study.
Where it's running
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Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Didier Jutras-Aswad, MD — Chum
- Study coordinator: Devon Blanchette
- Email: dblanchette@changemark.ca
- Phone: 780-953-6630
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.