Lifetree Clinical Research: Constipation Study

Dr. Lynn Webster, Medical Director of Lifetree Clinical Research in Salt Lake City, shares more on the study and how you may be able to participate.

Constipation isn’t a topic many people are comfortable discussing, but up to 90% of patients who receive prescription pain medication can actually develop constipation from their medications. This is called opioid induced constipation. Opiod is the medical term for prescription pain medications also known as narcotics. A few examples of opioid medications are lortab, percocet and oxycontin. If you have ever been treated for pain for at least 15 days and taken one of these medications, you may have suffered from opioid induced constipation. Unfortunately there are an estimated 70 million people living with chronic pain in America today, and there are few alternatives to treating chronic pain. Pain experts agree that opioids remain the best treatment available for many chronic pain conditions.

Current treatment for opioid induced constipation includes laxatives, stool softeners and if necessary, reflex evacuation via enema. Unfortunately up to 46% of patients do not achieve the desired outcome from these treatments. That’s why Lifetree Clinical Research is currently testing investigational treatments that are being developed for opioid induced constipation and other manifestations of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction in patients receiving opioid therapy for pain. This investigational treatment may help opioid -induced bowel dysfunction, a condition that may also include other symptoms like bloating, abdominal cramping and gastroesophageal reflux. Constipation is the hallmark of this syndrome. The goal of this investigational treatment is to improve constipation while preserving the effects of opioid therapy.

We are looking for persons between the ages of 18 and 70, currently being treated with opioids for pain and who are also currently suffering with constipation. We also require that our study participants stay multiple days in our research facility, but they will receive financial compensation for their participation. If interested, you can call for a confidential screening at (801) 269-8200. You can also visit lifetreeresearch dot com to find out more at about this study and others we are currently enrolling, including wisdom teeth removal for ages 16-45 and a chronic pain research study. We offer compensation to study participants and health insurance is not required to participate in a study.

For more information, or to see if you could be a participant, contact: