Recruiting nowPhase 2Interventional
What this study is about
This is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of intranasal oxytocin in youths with obesity, ages 10-18 years old. Subjects will be randomized to receive intranasal oxytocin or placebo (1 spray per nostril, 4 times per day) for 12 weeks. Study visits include screening to determine eligibility, 2-part main study visits at baseline, week 8, and week 12, and safety check-in visits at weeks 1, and 4; phone calls at weeks 2, 6, and 10, with a safety follow-up visit 6 weeks after the last dose of study drug. Study procedures include appetite, behavioral, metabolic, and endocrine assessments.
A promising-looking record is not the same as confirmed eligibility. The study team must review the full criteria and current recruitment status.
Basic eligibility
Age10 Years to 18 Years
SexAll
Healthy volunteersNot accepted
ConditionObesity, Adolescent, Oxytocin
Full registry criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Males and Females, 10-18 years * Obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile for age and gender) * Willingness to maintain current diet and lifestyle for the duration of study participation Exclusion Criteria: * Current substance abuse * Use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or dietary/herbal supplements that may affect weight if dose increased in the three months preceding the baseline visit and/or if they plan to increase the dose during the 18 weeks of study participation. * Greater than 5kg weight loss over 3 months; * Follows a nonstandard diet (e.g., Paleo, Atkins, raw diet, macrobiotic diet) * Cardiovascular disease * Prolonged QT interval * Chronic inflammatory bowel disease and other inflammatory conditions * Epilepsy * TSH \> 2.5 times upper limit of normal * Alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST) \>2.5 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine \>1.5 mg/dl * Hyponatremia * Pregnancy/breastfeeding or refusal to use contraception not containing estrogen throughout the study if female and sexually active * MRI exclusion criteria such as the presence of a pacemaker or cerebral aneurysm clips * Weight \>450 lbs due to limits for MRI and DXA scanners * Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus if HbA1c \>8% * Active eating disorder