Trial · NCT02141620

n-Acetylcysteine and Cocaine

NCT02141620, Early phase 1, Completed, University of Kentucky; results first posted 2016-10-06

3 sourcestrials-2026-11-12-0.5.0

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ConductScience Library. n-Acetylcysteine and Cocaine. Trials, record NCT02141620. Release trials-2026-11-12-0.5.0, 12 Nov 2026. https://conductscience.org/library/trials/NCT02141620

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Trial

As registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, in the graph's capture of the registry.

Title: n-Acetylcysteine and Cocaine
NCT number: NCT02141620
Status: Completed
Phases: Early phase 1
Enrollment: 15 participants, actual
Lead sponsor: University of Kentucky
Conditions: Cocaine Abuse, Cocaine Dependence
Interventions: Cocaine, n-Acetylcysteine, Placebo
First posted: 2014-05-19
Last updated: 2017-01-04
Results first posted: 2016-10-06

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

Registered outcomes27

Each outcome the trial registered, primary first, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.

List	Outcome	Time frame	Description
Primary	Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	One test per cocaine dose level per intervention for each participant over his/her approximate 2 week inpatient admission.	The reinforcing effects of cocaine were determined using a modified progressive ratio procedure (Stoops et al., 2010) in which subjects made 6 choices between available each available cocaine dose and money (US$0.25). Reinforcing effects are measured for each cocaine dose during both buspirone and placebo maintenance.
Secondary	Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects completed 16 items that loaded into the Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale. The items were rated 0-4 on a Likert-type scale and the sum for the 16 "sedative" items was summed to yield the Sedative Subscale score. The maximum score for this scale was 64, the minimum was 0. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Score on Stimulant Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects completed 16 items that loaded into the Stimulant Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale. The items were rated 0-4 on a Likert-type scale and the sum for the 16 "sedative" items was summed to yield the Stimulant Subscale score. The maximum score for this scale was 64, the minimum was 0. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Active, Alert, Energetic" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Active, Alert, Energetic" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Any Effect" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Any Effect" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Bad Effects" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Bad Effects" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Euphoric" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Euphoric" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Good Effects" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Good Effects" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "High" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "High" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.
Secondary	Peak Ratings of "Irregular/Racing Heartbeat" on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	Subjects rated their feelings of "Irregular/Racing Heartbeat" on a Visual Analog Scale. This item was rated from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum) on a Visual Analog Scale. Higher values represent greater subjective effects on this item. Peak scores were calculated from multiple assessments for each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo conditions.

1 to 10 of 27Source ClinicalTrials.gov

See all 27 registered outcomes

Outcomes27

Each outcome the trial posted results for, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.

Type	Outcome	Time frame	Units	Measured as
PRIMARY	Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	One test per cocaine dose level per intervention for each participant over his/her approximate 2 week inpatient admission.	Number of Cocaine Choices	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Score on Stimulant Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Active, Alert, Energetic on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Any Effect on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Bad Effects on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Euphoric on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Good Effects on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of High on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN
SECONDARY	Peak Ratings of Irregular/Racing Heartbeat on the Visual Analog Scale	Subjects completed this measure at 15 minute intervals for 45 minutes after sampling each cocaine dose under both n-acetylcysteine and placebo maintenance conditions.	units on a scale	MEAN

1 to 10 of 27Source ClinicalTrials.gov

See all 27 outcomes

Results by group162

Each measurement the trial posted, group by group, in the words and numbers it posted.

Outcome	Group	Category	Value	Spread	Units
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	Placebo	Placebo Cocaine	1.0	Standard Deviation 2.2	Number of Cocaine Choices
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	n-Acetylcysteine	Placebo Cocaine	0.1	Standard Deviation .5	Number of Cocaine Choices
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	Placebo	30 mg Cocaine	3.4	Standard Deviation 2.6	Number of Cocaine Choices
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	n-Acetylcysteine	30 mg Cocaine	3.9	Standard Deviation 2.4	Number of Cocaine Choices
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	Placebo	60 mg Cocaine	3.5	Standard Deviation 2.8	Number of Cocaine Choices
Number of Times Cocaine Was Selected in the Presence of a Monetary Reward Alternative	n-Acetylcysteine	60 mg Cocaine	3.9	Standard Deviation 2.4	Number of Cocaine Choices
Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Placebo	Placebo Cocaine	3.8	Standard Error 1.2	units on a scale
Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	n-Acetylcysteine	Placebo Cocaine	3.9	Standard Error 1.4	units on a scale
Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	Placebo	30 mg Cocaine	2.5	Standard Error .9	units on a scale
Peak Score on Sedative Subscale of the Adjective Rating Scale	n-Acetylcysteine	30 mg Cocaine	2.4	Standard Error .8	units on a scale

1 to 10 of 162Source ClinicalTrials.gov

See all 162 results by group

Participant flow12

How many started, completed or left each group, period by period.

Period	Milestone	Group	Participants
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	STARTED	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	8
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	STARTED	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	7
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	COMPLETED	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	7
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	COMPLETED	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	7
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	NOT COMPLETED	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	1
Treatment Condition 1 (7 Days)	NOT COMPLETED	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	0
Treatment Condition 2 (7 Days)	STARTED	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	7
Treatment Condition 2 (7 Days)	STARTED	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	7
Treatment Condition 2 (7 Days)	COMPLETED	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	7
Treatment Condition 2 (7 Days)	COMPLETED	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	7

1 to 10 of 12Source ClinicalTrials.gov

See all 12 participant flow

Adverse events2

Each adverse event the trial posted, group by group: the participants affected out of those at risk.

Type	Event	Organ system	Group	Affected	At risk	Events
other	Tooth Pain	General disorders	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	1	8	1
other	Tooth Pain	General disorders	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	0	7	0

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

Adverse event totals6

The totals the trial posted for each group.

Total	Group	Affected	At risk
Total, all-cause mortality	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine
Total, all-cause mortality	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo
Total, other adverse events	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	1	8
Total, other adverse events	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	0	7
Total, serious adverse events	Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine	0	8
Total, serious adverse events	n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo	0	7

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

Papers0

The papers the trial lists on ClinicalTrials.gov.

None in this release.

Grants1

The grants NIH RePORTER links to the trial, newest funded first: NIH's, and some of AHRQ's, CDC's, FDA's and VA's. Each shows its title, principal investigators, organization and funder in its newest year.

Project	Title	Principal investigators	Organization	Funder	Fiscal years
R21DA035376	Motivation for Cocaine and Non-Drug Reinforcers: Targeting Glutamate Homeostasis	STOOPS, WILLIAM WALTON	UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY	NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE	2014 to 2015

Source NIH RePORTER

Trial comparisons1

Comparisons of the trial's two groups, calculated by ConductScience from the counts it posted.

Comparison
Placebo Then n-Acetylcysteine vs n-Acetylcysteine Then Placebo: serious adverse events

Source Trial comparisons

Tests0

The ConductCognition tests this trial's registered outcomes name, as ScienceGraph matched them in trial-tests-2026-11-12-0.2.1.

None in this release.

Data dates

The day each source was copied for this release.

ClinicalTrials.gov: 2026-11-12; ClinicalTrials.gov
Results, from AACT: 2026-03-23; AACT
NIH grant links: 2026-11-13; NIH RePORTER

Sources 3

ClinicalTrials.gov's posted results, through CTTI's AACTFreely available. Acknowledgement requested
ClinicalTrials.govNo license stated
NIH RePORTER's clinical studies and project filesPublic domain

Each source's terms

ClinicalTrials.gov's posted results, through CTTI's AACTClinicalTrials.gov data via Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT), CTTI. CTTI makes its materials freely available and requests acknowledgement. https://aact.ctti-clinicaltrials.org/documentation/299
ClinicalTrials.govnone stated
NIH RePORTER's clinical studies and project filesPublic domain (NIH RePORTER)

ClinicalTrials.gov's data carry an international copyright outside the United States: https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/terms-conditions.

For software

Read this trial from software.

The record and each of its lists are JSON, twenty rows a page. No key.

GET https://conductscience.org/api/trials/v1/NCT02141620

GET https://conductscience.org/api/trials/v1/NCT02141620/registered?page=2

API reference For AI assistants