Effectiveness of tDCS on Reducing Craving in Patients Practicing Chemsex: a Single-center, Double-blind, Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Behavioral, Other, Device
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

The aim of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of a new treatment for chemsex or chemical sex, the use of psychoactive substances to modify sexual experience and performance. This treatment, called Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) aims to modulate the cortical activity of brain areas involved in the desire to use psychoactive substances, or drugs, and the desire for uncontrolled sexual intercourse. This treatment should therefore lead to a reduction in the craving for consumption of psychoactive substances and/or the practice of uncontrolled sexual activity. The stakes of this new treatment are high, because chemsex exposes people to health risks for themselves and others. These risks include the risk of infection (skin infections, HIV infection, hepatitis viruses), psychological harms (anxiety attacks, depression, suicide risk), risk of addiction (addiction to the psychoactive product used, sex addiction), and toxicological harm (overdose, dangerous combination of psychoactive substances) or trauma (blows, trauma to the genitals or anorectal trauma). To date, there is no proven therapeutic treatment for people wishing to reduce or stop chemsex. 40 participants will be randomized into 2 groups: * 20 patients will receive active stimulation * 20 patients will receive sham stimulation The total duration of the study for each patient will be 13 weeks: 1 week of stimulation and 12 weeks of follow-up.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Patient who provides written consent

• Patient aged ≥ 18 years

• Patient motivated and willing to change chemsex behavior, assessed by examiner during screening and inclusion visits

• Patient using at least one of the following psychoactive substances to modify sexual performance and/or experience:

‣ Cathinones, or methamphetamine, or MDMA, or cocaine, or ketamine, or GBL/GHB

⁃ ≥ 1 time per month over the past 6 months and/or ≥ 10 times over the past year

Locations
Other Locations
France
CHU Dijon Bourgogne
RECRUITING
Dijon
Contact Information
Primary
Benjamin PETIT
benjamin.petit@chu-dijon.fr
03.80.29.35.24
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-07-29
Estimated Completion Date: 2026-08
Participants
Target number of participants: 40
Treatments
Experimental: tDCS active
Placebo_comparator: Sham tDCS
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov