Effects of Testosterone Replacement on Pain Sensitivity and Pain Perception
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00351819. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
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Official title
Effects of Testosterone Replacement on Pain Sensitivity and Pain Perception in Men With Chronic Pain Syndrome
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Naturally occurring opiates (endorphins) decrease testosterone levels by inhibiting the synthesis of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and also inhibiting testosterone synthesis by the testes. Similarly, men with addiction to narcotics and those on exogenous opioids for pain control have decreased serum testosterone levels. Indeed, these men complain of decreased libido, erectile dysfunction and impaired quality of life. Animal studies have shown that gonadectomy results in a decrease in pain threshold in rats and repletion of testosterone elevates that threshold. These observations suggest that testosterone may possess analgesic properties. Hence, the investigators hypothesize that hypogonadism developing in men on opioids results in an increased sensitivity to pain and requirement of higher doses of opioids. In this study, the investigators plan to administer testosterone to men with opioid-induced hypogonadism and evaluate their pain perception, pain sensitivity in response to noxious stimuli and changes in the requirement of opioids in response to testosterone administration. Hypothesis: Testosterone replacement in men with opioid-induced hypogonadism will improve pain tolerance, pain perception and quality of life. Specific aims: 1. To evaluate the effects of testosterone replacement on pain sensitivity, pain tolerance, and pain modulation in men with opioid-induced hypogonadism. 2. To determine the effects of testosterone replacement on health-related quality of life. 3. To determine whether testosterone replacement in hypogonadal men induces changes in the dosage requirements of opioid medications for pain control. To accomplish our specific aims, the investigators propose a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel arm study in which hypogonadal men with non-cancer chronic back pain syndrome on chronic opioids and low testosterone levels (\<300 ng/dl) will be randomized to exogenous testosterone replacement therapy vs placebo. Our primary outcome is change in pain tolerance using various external painful stimuli. Secondary outcomes are change in pain sensitivity and modulation, quality of life and opioid requirements.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00351819
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Enrollment
- 84 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 100 Years
- Sex
- Male
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Mar 31, 2006
- Primary completion
- Oct 31, 2012
- Completion
- Oct 31, 2012
- Last update posted
- Jun 27, 2017
2006 – 2012
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston | Massachusetts | 02115 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00351819, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jun 27, 2017 · Synced Sep 13, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT00351819 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.