A Randomized Controlled Trial of Repeated Ketamine Administration for Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Summary & key facts

Researchers ran a carefully controlled study that randomly put people with long-term posttraumatic stress disorder into different treatment groups and gave some of them repeated ketamine infusions. The people who got ketamine had a drop in overall PTSD symptoms. This is the first trial to show that repeated ketamine doses can reduce symptom severity in chronic PTSD, but the result is early. More studies are needed to know how well it works long-term, how safe it is, and how it should be used in real clinics.

Key facts:

• The study was a carefully controlled trial that randomly assigned people with chronic PTSD to different treatment groups.
• People who received repeated ketamine infusions showed reduced overall PTSD symptom severity compared with the other group.
• This trial is the first clinical evidence that repeated ketamine doses can help lower symptoms in long-term PTSD.
• The authors say more research is needed to understand ketamine's full potential, including how long benefits last and how safe it is in this use.
• The findings suggest ketamine might become a treatment option for chronic PTSD, but it is not yet a proven standard treatment and needs further study.

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial provides the first evidence of efficacy of repeated ketamine infusions in reducing symptom severity in individuals with chronic PTSD. Further studies are warranted to understand ketamine's full potential as a treatment for chronic PTSD.

Topics

Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Administration (probate law) Anesthesia Chronic stress Clinical psychology Internal medicine Ketamine Law Medicine Political science Posttraumatic stress Psychology Randomized controlled trial

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

PTSD Anxiety or worry Feeling disconnected from others Poor sleep