Tier 1 — highest

A randomized placebo-controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine for cannabis use disorder in adults

Kevin M Gray, Susan C Sonne, Erin A McClure, Udi E Ghitza, Abigail G Matthews, Aimee L McRae-Clark, Kathleen M Carroll, Jennifer S Potter, Katharina Wiest, Larissa J Mooney, Albert Hasson, Sharon L Walsh, Michelle R Lofwall, Shanna Babalonis, Robert W Lindblad, Steven Sparenborg, Aimee Wahle, Jacqueline S King, Nathaniel L Baker, Rachel L Tomko, Louise F Haynes, Ryan G Vandrey, Frances R Levin
Drug Alcohol Depend 2017 177:249-257

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 28623823
PubMed Central
PMC5535813
DOI
10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.04.020
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignMultisite randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
ModelHuman
SampleAdults with cannabis use disorder
InterventionNAC 1,200 mg twice daily versus placebo with contingency management
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsUrine cannabinoid abstinence; Cannabis use; Safety

What the study showed, in plain terms

Large adult replication test following the positive adolescent cannabis trial.

Key findings

NAC did not improve the primary abstinence outcome in adults; negative urine tests were essentially identical between groups.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Adult population and behavioral-treatment context differ from the earlier adolescent study.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology