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Oxytocin for Weight Loss in Adolescents
Oxytocin as a Neuroendocrine Therapy for Obesity in Youth
Who can join
Ages 10 to 18 · All sexes
Full eligibility 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
About the study
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.
What is being tested
- Oxytocin nasal spray (drug)
- Placebo (drug)
Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Participants: 55 · Started: Jul 28, 2021
Contact the study team
- Elizabeth A Lawson, MD, MMSc · Phone: 617-726-3870
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT04551482
Locations in the U.S.
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.