# Harnessing Placebo Analgesia to Address the Opioid Epidemic

> **NIH NIH K01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $180,420

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The United States is in the midst of a serious opioid epidemic. Nearly 2 million adults have an opioid use
disorder (OUD) and there has been a rapidly increasing rate of opioid overdose deaths. Prescription opioids
are considered a major contributor to the opioid epidemic, and are frequently an antecedent to the use of illicit
opioids, such as heroin. More than 200 million prescription opioids are dispensed each year in the U.S., and
are frequently given to relieve pain among patients recovering from surgery. New methods of pain
management are needed to reduce or eliminate the reliance on prescription opioids. This K01 application will
prepare the candidate to pursue a career devoted to understanding and harnessing the placebo response in
opioid and other substance misuse prevention and treatment. The candidate is very well suited for this career
given his strong background in alcohol prevention and emerging expertise in placebo studies. The research
plan will entail a two-phase project to develop and test open (i.e. “honest”) placebos as an adjunctive treatment
for pain management in post-surgical patients. Although harnessing placebos for substance misuse prevention
has never been studied, the proposed research and career trajectory build upon an emerging body of evidence
showing that placebos relieve pain, and that placebos are effective even when given openly. Phase 1 will
consist of qualitative interviews with patients (n=15-20) and physicians (n=5-7) to determine how open
placebos can be adapted to a post-surgical pain population (Aim 1). Phase 2 will consist of a randomized
clinical trial (n=155). Patients recovering from Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery will be assigned to one of two
groups. Patients in both standard care (SC) and placebo conditioning (PC) will receive their usual dose of
opioid medication for post-surgical pain. Patients assigned to the PC group will also receive a set regimen of
placebos. The pills will be truthfully described as inactive medication that is likely to minimize pain. They will be
asked to take placebos in a manner that generates a Pavlovian conditioned analgesic response to the
placebos. Opioid intake and pain will be assessed over the course of seven daily follow-ups. Aims 2 and 3 will
examine whether patients in the PC group take fewer active opioid pills (Aim 2) and report less pain (Aim 3)
than patients assigned to SC. Aim 4 will examine whether treatment expectancies mediate the treatment effect.
This project is in line with the NIDA funding priority of developing non-opioid adjunctive therapies for
prescription opioid misuse prevention. A well-designed career plan and exceptional mentorship team will
prepare the candidate to develop expertise in: a) pain management, opioid misuse and use disorder prevention
and treatment, b) placebo studies, c) formative intervention development, and d) advanced quantitative
methods. At the conclusion of this K01, the candidate will be a leading expert ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132279
- **Project number:** 5K01DA048087-03
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Harrison Bernstein
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $180,420
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132279

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132279, Harnessing Placebo Analgesia to Address the Opioid Epidemic (5K01DA048087-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132279. Licensed CC0.

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