CHARLOTTE, NC
Substance Use Clinical Trials
One substance use study is enrolling inside Charlotte NC, and it needs recent use rather than abstinence. But no medicine trial for opioid use disorder is open in this metro, and we would rather say so. Payment is provided for eligible participants.
1
Open Near Charlotte
0
Urine Tests in It
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, here is the honest picture. One study is open here, it is a support programme rather than a medicine, and it has an entry rule people do not expect. So here is how to use this page.
- Ask about the three approved medicines first. Because those need no study at all and they are on offer in this city today.
- Ask whether abstinence is required, and for how long. Also, most studies here need recent use rather than none.
- Ask whether the study touches your current treatment. In fact, coming off buprenorphine or methadone raises overdose risk, so that answer matters most.
- Last, tap the button. Then we keep your details on file and call you when a study opens near you.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
Studies Open Near Charlotte Right Now
One, inside the city, and it uses no urine testing at all. Also, no medicine trial is open here.
Open inside Charlotte, and you do not have to stop using
You need to have used in the last 90 days to qualify. But it is linked to HIV care or prevention, and that link is the real gate.
A Support Programme, and You Do Not Have to Stop Using
Duke University with Mecklenburg County / Non drug programme
This is a wrap around support programme rather than a medicine. It offers counselling one to one and in groups, case management and peer support over six months. Everybody gets the programme, because there is only one group and no dummy. Also, you have to have used alcohol or another substance in the last 90 days to qualify. But it is linked to HIV care or HIV prevention, and that is the real gate.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: most people never call because they think they must stop first, and here the opposite is true. Meanwhile, nothing in this study asks you to come off buprenorphine, methadone or anything else.
Who this study is looking for
- Living with HIV, or actively seeking HIV prevention such as PrEP
- Also, any alcohol or other substance use in the last 90 days
- Besides that, living in Mecklenburg County or nearby
- Finally, aged 18 or over
Probably not a fit if: the HIV link is what excludes most people. Without an HIV diagnosis and without interest in prevention, this one does not fit. Also, the only other published exclusion is being unable to give consent.
- Placebo group: None. There is one group and everybody receives the programme.
- How long: Six months.
- Clinic visits: Two research contacts only, and both are online surveys done at home. The programme itself is roughly weekly to fortnightly in person.
- Phone calls: None published beyond the programme’s own contact.
- Most invasive part: Nothing physical, and no urine testing at all. So substance use is recorded by asking you rather than by testing you.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: A Duke research site, Charlotte NC 28207.
- Drive from Charlotte: The site is in Charlotte, about two miles from uptown.
- No urine drug screens anywhere in it. That is unusual and it is worth knowing, because urine testing is what often drives visit frequency.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
The nearest studies involving actual medicine
None is in this metro. All three keep you on your treatment rather than taking it away, and one posts the medicine to your home.
Peer Support Alongside Real Medication
Prisma Health with Clemson / Non drug study
This pairs a peer support specialist, meaning someone in recovery themselves, with a mobile health clinic. Both groups receive the real thing, which is medicine for opioid use disorder, naloxone and fentanyl test strips. The only difference is whether a peer specialist is added, and the split is even. So no one is denied treatment and nothing is taken away. The nearest site is at Greenville.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: the medicine works and most people fall out of care within months, which is the problem this targets. Meanwhile, both groups receive full care rather than one being left short.
Who this study is looking for
- Starting medicine for opioid use disorder at a mobile health clinic
- Also, not already working with a peer support specialist
- Besides that, able to read and understand the consent materials
- Finally, aged 18 or over
Probably not a fit if: already having a peer support specialist rules you out. Likewise, a severe medical or mental health condition that would prevent taking part. Also, there is no criminal justice requirement and no abstinence requirement.
- Placebo group: None. Both groups get medicine, naloxone and test strips.
- How long: Six months.
- Clinic visits: About 25 assessment contacts, weekly for 24 weeks plus the start. Most look suited to phone or remote collection.
- Phone calls: Weekly contact is built into the design.
- Most invasive part: Nothing beyond the treatment you were starting anyway. So no urine drug screens are published as a requirement.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Prisma Health Upstate, Greenville SC 29605.
- Drive from Charlotte: Greenville is about 100 miles south west, so roughly an hour and forty five minutes.
- This does not ask you to stop anything. It is built around people just starting medicine, and staying on it is the point rather than the obstacle.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Medication Posted to Your Door
MUSC with the National Institute on Drug Abuse / Small pilot
If you are started on buprenorphine during a hospital admission, the hard part is what happens next. Transport, pharmacies and appointments are where people fall out of care. This simply posts the medicine to your home each month and checks in remotely. There is no dummy, no randomising and only one group. It is small, at twenty people.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: the medicine is not the barrier for most people, and getting to it is. Meanwhile, this removes the part that really fails.
Who this study is looking for
- Started on buprenorphine during a hospital admission
- Also, discharging to a South Carolina address with a reliable mailbox
- Besides that, access to a phone or computer
- Finally, aged 18 or over
Probably not a fit if: no stable mailing address rules you out. So does a pending prison sentence. Also, abstinence is not required and nothing is taken away.
- Placebo group: None. One group, everybody gets the medicine.
- How long: Six months.
- Clinic visits: Very few. Check ins are done by phone, text or video, with assessment points at one, three and six months.
- Phone calls: Confirmations are by phone, text or video rather than clinic visits.
- Most invasive part: Nothing at all. So this is among the lightest studies on our whole site.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC 29425.
- Drive from Charlotte: Charleston is about 205 miles south east, so roughly three hours and fifteen minutes.
- Ask which team you would be under. One of the two rows at that hospital has not opened yet, so confirm you are being enrolled under the open one.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
For Cannabis Withdrawal, and It Needs Six Nights In
PleoPharma / Late stage tablet
This is the only late stage cannabis withdrawal study open anywhere in the Carolinas. There are three groups, which are the new tablet, an approved comparison drug, and a dummy. So there is a real chance of an active drug even if you are not on the new one. But be clear about the commitment. It needs six consecutive nights as an inpatient. The site is at North Charleston.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: cannabis withdrawal is real, poorly recognised and almost never treated. Meanwhile, one of the three arms is a real approved drug.
Who this study is looking for
- Using cannabis heavily, most days, for at least six months
- Also, still using the day before starting
- Besides that, A positive test at screening and again at randomising
- Finally, willing to stop cannabis entirely at randomisation
- Also, aged 18 to 55
Probably not a fit if: any other drug use disorder in the last two years rules you out, except nicotine. Likewise, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder at any point in life. Also, no alcohol at all during the study, and sleep or anxiety medicine in the last two months excludes.
- Placebo group: Yes, but with three groups, so one of the other two is a real approved drug.
- How long: About 78 days.
- Clinic visits: Six inpatient nights, then six clinic visits and two video visits, plus a video call every evening. All of that is published.
- Phone calls: A short video call every evening, plus daily symptom diaries.
- Most invasive part: Six nights in a bed, plus drug and alcohol testing. So the week in a bed is the real cost.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Coastal Carolina Research Center, North Charleston SC 29405.
- Drive from Charlotte: North Charleston is about 205 miles south east, so roughly three hours and fifteen minutes.
- The week away is the decision. Six nights in a row is hard to fit around a job, so raise it with your employer first.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we keep them on file. Finally, we call you when a study opens near Charlotte. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Available for Substance Use Here
Three medicines for opioid use disorder are approved and available in both cities today, with no study needed.
Three Medications Already Exist
Buprenorphine, methadone and long acting naltrexone are all approved and available now. So you do not need a study to get treatment, and a study is never a substitute for it. Meanwhile, these medicines cut the risk of dying, which few things in medicine do as clearly. Also, they are underprescribed rather than unavailable.
You Usually Do Not Have to Stop First
This is the belief that stops most people from ever picking up the phone. The study open in Charlotte needs recent use to qualify, not abstinence. So does the peer support study at Greenville, which is built for people just starting medicine. In fact, being told to get clean first and then come back is exactly what these studies are challenging.
But Always Read the Abstinence Line
Some studies flip it entirely. One sleep study for people with opioid use disorder needs no opioid use for at least four weeks. So the same condition can carry opposite rules in two different studies. Meanwhile, asking do I have to be abstinent, and for how long, takes ten seconds.
Ask Whether You Keep Your Medication
Coming off buprenorphine or methadone is the most dangerous thing a study could ask of you, because tolerance falls and overdose risk rises. So ask it before anything else. But none of the studies open near either city asks that, and most require the opposite.
Urine Testing Drives Visit Frequency
The study open in Charlotte uses no urine drug screens at all, and records use by asking you. Others test at every visit, which sets how often you must attend. So that single question tells you how much of your life a study will take. In general, it is worth asking early rather than discovering it later.
Some Studies Need You in a Bed
The cannabis withdrawal study at North Charleston needs six consecutive nights as an inpatient. So ask is there any inpatient stay as a standing question. Meanwhile, it is not always in the study summary. Also, that one also has an approved comparison drug, so a dummy is not the only alternative.
Naloxone and Test Strips Need No Study
Naloxone is available over the counter in both North and South Carolina without a prescription. Fentanyl test strips are legal and are given out free by many harm reduction programmes. So you do not need research access to either. In fact, one nearby study hands both to everybody, including the comparison group.
Geography Is a Written Rule, Not a Formality
The Charlotte study needs you to live in Mecklenburg County or nearby. The medicine by post study needs a South Carolina mailing address. So check the map before you check the medicine. Meanwhile, one study near Greenville needs you to live within fifty miles of it, which rules out most of the Midlands.
Why Nothing Local Is a Drug Study
Neither metro has a single medicine trial for opioid use disorder open right now. The nearest are at Greenville, Charleston and North Charleston. So anyone telling you there is a local drug trial for this is mistaken. But the approved medicines are available in both cities today, which matters far more.
Substance Use Help Near You
Ask about the three approved medicines, because those need no study at all. Also, ask whether a study needs abstinence, and whether it touches your current medicine. Last, get naloxone, because it is free or cheap and needs no prescription. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when a study opens near you.
Research Sites Near Charlotte
One Duke run study operates inside Charlotte, while the nearest medicine studies sit at Greenville and Charleston. But sites add new studies all the time.
Atrium Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / 161+ active studies
Crohn’s, Heart Failure, COPD, Dementia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension
Charlotte’s biggest health system. It is tied to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Also, it runs far more trials than anyone else nearby.
Visit Website →
American Health Research Network
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 25 to 30+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Type 2 Diabetes
Led by Dr. Selwyn Spangenthal. It is the biggest private lung research group in Charlotte. Specifically, it has 4 offices: Charlotte, Rock Hill, Lake Norman, and Charleston.
Visit Website →
Monroe Biomedical Research
Monroe, NC / 17+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Obesity, Ulcerative Colitis
Notably, one of the 5 busiest research sites in the country. Its 6,300 sq ft space can host overnight stays. It is also an SCRS Global Impact Partner.
Visit Website →
Clinical Research of Gastonia
Gastonia, NC / 11+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Led by Dr. Anup Banerjee. Its 3,500 sq ft space sits next to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Also, it has been running for over 10 years.
Visit Website →
OnSite Clinical Solutions
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 10+ active studies
Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, COPD, Heart Failure, Atopic Dermatitis
It works with Charlotte doctors in heart, gut, skin, nerve, and joint care. Besides, it runs studies from Phase I through Phase IV.
Visit Website →
Flourish Research
Matthews, NC 28105 / 4+ active studies
Alzheimer’s Disease, Early Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s-Related Psychosis
Led by Dr. M. Reza Bolouri. He has 20+ years in Alzheimer’s research. The site is an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence. In fact, its network has finished 5,500+ trials.
Visit Website →
New Hope Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 4+ active studies
Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Led by Dr. Kurian Abraham. It runs Phase I through IV studies and has 30 beds for overnight stays. Its last FDA audit came back clean. Also, it has finished 200+ brain studies.
Visit Website →
Queen City Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 2+ active studies
Chronic Pain, Chronic Migraine, Osteoarthritis
Led by Dr. Leonardo Kapural, a former Cleveland Clinic professor. Notably, he has written 200+ journal articles. On top of that, many call this the biggest pain research site in the country.
Visit Website →
Novant Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / Several active studies
Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension
One of the biggest health systems in the Carolinas. Its Heart and Vascular Institute runs heart studies and sees a lot of patients.
Visit Website →
DLVSC
4 Charlotte-area offices / 1+ active studies
Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea
Led by Dr. Gilly Munavalli. This award-winning skin practice owns 50+ FDA-approved lasers and devices. Also, it has its own research team.
Visit Website →
DelRicht Research
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Depression
Part of a national network of mental health research sites. Currently, it runs the azetukalner bipolar depression trial in Charlotte. Previously, it ran other mental health studies.
Visit Website →
TMS of the Carolinas
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression
A specialty site for brain stimulation care. It runs the fast TMS study that packs 6 weeks into 2.
Visit Website →What to Expect in a Substance Use Study
New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.
01
Prescreening
First comes a short phone call or online form. Also, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The staff check whether you might fit. Then they tell you what is open.
02
Screening Visit
Next the clinic runs the tests that decide it, which usually means blood work. Also, they go through the consent form line by line, and you can bring somebody with you.
03
Treatment Period
Then the programme begins. So you take the study drug or the placebo on the agreed schedule. Meanwhile, your own doctor keeps managing everything else.
04
Follow-Up
Finally, there is a check in period at the end. Also, your own doctor gets the results, and you can stop at any point without affecting your care.
Substance Use Trial FAQs
Real answers about substance use studies near Charlotte NC.
Is there a study for this near Charlotte?
Yes, one, inside the city, and it is a support programme rather than a medicine. It needs any substance use in the last 90 days, so abstinence would rule you out rather than help. But it is linked to HIV care or prevention, and that link is the real gate. Also, no medicine trial for opioid use disorder is open in this metro at all.
What treatments exist?
Three are approved for opioid use disorder and available in both cities today. They are buprenorphine, methadone and long acting naltrexone. So you do not need a study to get treatment, and a study is never a substitute for it. Meanwhile, these cut the risk of dying, which few things in medicine do as clearly.
Do I have to stop using first?
Usually not, and this belief is what stops most people from ever calling. The study open in Charlotte needs recent use to qualify, not abstinence. So does the peer support study at Greenville, which is built for people just starting treatment. In fact, being told to get clean first and come back is what these studies exist to challenge.
Are there exceptions to that?
Yes, so always read the line. One sleep study for people with opioid use disorder needs no opioid use for at least four weeks. So the same condition can carry opposite rules in two different studies. Meanwhile, asking do I have to be abstinent, and for how long, takes ten seconds.
Would a study take me off my medicine?
None of the ones open near either city does, and most require the opposite. Coming off buprenorphine or methadone is dangerous, because tolerance falls and overdose risk rises. So ask it before anything else. Also, a study that asked you to stop would be a very different proposition.
How often would I have to attend?
Urine testing is often what drives that, so ask about it early. The study open in Charlotte uses none at all and records use by asking you. So that single question tells you how much of your life a study will take. Also, others test at every visit, which sets the rhythm.
Do any require staying in?
One does. The cannabis withdrawal study at North Charleston needs six nights in a row as an inpatient. So ask is there any inpatient stay as a standing question, because it is not always in the summary. Meanwhile, that study also has an approved comparison drug, so a dummy is not the only alternative. In general, none of the closer options needs an admission.
Where do I get naloxone?
Over the counter in both North and South Carolina, with no prescription needed. Fentanyl test strips are legal too and are handed out free by many harm reduction programmes. So you do not need research access to either. In fact, one nearby study gives both to everyone including the comparison group.
Does it cost anything to check?
No. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. Tether is a nonprofit list, so we do not run studies and we are not paid to send you anywhere. Also, checking never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
Where can I get help near Charlotte?
Atrium Health and Novant Health both run addiction services across the metro, and the three approved medicines are on offer here today. Also, get naloxone, which needs no prescription in this state. In general, medicine plus support does better than either alone. Meanwhile, if things ever feel unsafe, call or text 988 at any hour.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- EASE, a support programme in Charlotte with no urine testing, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05700474
- BRIDGE-SC, peer support alongside real medicine, at Greenville, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07541417
- Buprenorphine posted to your home, at Charleston, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07421102
- A cannabis withdrawal study with an active comparison drug, at North Charleston, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07644052
- A University of South Carolina study that has not opened yet, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06469749
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 17, 2026. Neither metro has a single medicine trial for opioid use disorder open on the public record, and that was confirmed seven separate ways. Of sixteen results on the word Columbia for this topic, fifteen were not Columbia SC. Seven were Columbia University in New York and five the University of Missouri. Nearly every Lexington result was the University of Kentucky, which is a major addiction research centre. The highest value candidate of the sweep was a false positive: a study matched Charlotte and turned out to be Port Charlotte Florida and Charlottesville Virginia, with no Charlotte NC site at all. One study with a real Charlotte address reads as open while that site row has not opened yet. Study openings and criteria change. The research clinic confirms it all before you enroll.