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Young HEROES Opioid Use Disorder Study

The Young Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System (Young HEROES) is a research program for young people aged 13 to 17 who are struggling with opioid use disorder. This study aims to help you stop using opioids and stay in treatment. You would receive a combination of buprenorphine/naloxone (a medication to treat opioid use disorder), individual counseling, support from peer recovery specialists, and referrals to support groups and long-term treatment. To join, you must be in good health, test positive for opioids, want to stop using opioids, meet specific diagnostic criteria, and be able to speak English. The study will look at how well participants stay in treatment and remain abstinent from opioids 30 days after starting the program. The current status of this study is unclear, and it plans to enroll 250 participants.

Study design
This is an interventional study, meaning participants will receive specific treatments. It is a non-randomized cohort study based at the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston, and plans to enroll 250 participants.
What's involved
You would receive buprenorphine/naloxone medication, individual counseling, peer recovery support services, and referrals to support groups and long-term medication management. The primary outcomes are measured 30 days after enrollment.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
The primary outcomes of patient retention and abstinence from opioids are measured 30 days after enrollment.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT04811014

Young Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System

Recruiting
PHASE4Ages 13–17InterventionalTreatment
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
~250 participants
Updated 2025-10-01 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug CombinationIndividual CounselingPeer Recovery Support ServicesSupport GroupReferral to Medication ManagementAssertive Outreach

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Patient retention in treatment
Measured over 30 days after enrollment
+1 more outcome measured

Conditions

Opioid-use Disorder
Opioid Dependence
Opioid Overdose
Opioid Use
Substance Use Disorders

Explore related trials

Opioid Use Disorder

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Texas1

Study leadership

  • James R Langabeer, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Who to contact

James R Langabeer, PhD
[email protected]
713-500-3925
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

In otherwise good health based on physician assessment and medical history
Drug screen positive for opioids
Patients express a willingness to stop opioid use
Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for opioid dependence
Patients must be able to speak English
Be agreeable to and capable of signing the informed consent and assent (parent or guardian must consent, minor must assent)

Exclusion

Non-English-speaking patients
Have a known sensitivity to buprenorphine or naloxone
Be physiologically dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other drugs of abuse that require immediate medical attention. Other substance use diagnoses are not exclusionary.
Have a medical condition that would, in the opinion of the study physician, make participation medically hazardous, including unstable cardiovascular disease, neurological deficits, trauma, acute hepatitis, stroke, and liver or renal disease)
Be acutely psychotic, severely depressed, and in need of inpatient treatment, or is an immediate suicide risk
Be a nursing or pregnant female

What this trial measures

  • Patient retention in treatment30 days after enrollment

    Percentage of enrolled youth in treatment over time

  • Patient abstinence from opioids30 days after enrollment

    Days without substance use