What can ketamine actually treat?
Ketamine has been the subject of much attention in recent years due to its potential as a treatment for a range of mood disorders. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, trauma, chronic pain, treatment-resistant depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health diagnoses have all been the focus of studies investigating ketamine's efficacy as a treatment option. I have read most of the published studies on this topic and will now share with you a summary of what we know about the use of ketamine in treating these various mood disorders.
Depression is one of the most common mood disorders, affecting millions of people worldwide. Clinical trials have shown that ketamine can have rapid and long-lasting antidepressant effects in those with treatment-resistant depression. In fact, some studies have reported that patients who received repeated ketamine infusions experienced a significant improvement in symptoms within hours of treatment. These effects have been found to persist for up to several weeks after treatment.
Similarly, ketamine has also shown promise as a treatment for anxiety disorders. Studies have found that ketamine infusions can reduce symptoms of anxiety, such as panic attacks and generalized anxiety, in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another mood disorder that has been the focus of several ketamine studies. Research has found that ketamine can reduce symptoms of PTSD, including hyperarousal, avoidance, and re-experiencing, with effects lasting for several days or weeks.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is another mood disorder that has been the subject of ketamine research. A randomized controlled trial found that ketamine reduced OCD symptoms in patients who had not responded to other treatments, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder, have also been studied in the context of ketamine treatment. One study found that ketamine reduced binge eating episodes in patients with both anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder, potentially due to its effect on altering plasma levels of endocannabinoids.
Chronic pain is another condition that ketamine has been investigated for. Research has found that ketamine can be an effective treatment for chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain, with effects lasting for several weeks after treatment.
Finally, ketamine has also been studied as a treatment for suicidal ideation. One study found that a single ketamine infusion reduced suicidal thoughts in patients with treatment-resistant depression, with effects lasting for up to a week.
In summary, ketamine has shown promise as a treatment for a range of mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, chronic pain, and suicidal ideation. While further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying ketamine's effects and to optimize dosing and administration, the results of these studies are promising and offer hope for those struggling with these conditions.
Citations:
Newport, D. J., Carpenter, L. L., McDonald, W. M., Potash, J. B., Tohen, M., Nemeroff, C. B., & APA Council of Research Task Force on Novel Biomarkers and Treatments. (2015). Ketamine and other NMDA antagonists: Early clinical trials and possible mechanisms in depression. The American journal of psychiatry, 172(10), 950–966. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15040465
Murrough, J. W., Perez, A. M., Pillemer, S., Stern, J., Parides, M. K., aan het Rot, M., Collins, K. A., Mathew, S. J., & Charney, D. S. (2013). Rapid and longer-term antidepressant effects of repeated ketamine infusions in treatment-resistant major depression. Biological psychiatry, 74(4), 250–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.022
Feder, A., Parides, M. K., Murrough, J. W., Perez, A. M., Morgan, J. E., Saxena, S., Kirkwood, K., Aan Het Rot, M., Lapidus, K. A., Wan, L. B., Iosifescu, D., & Charney, D. S. (2014). Efficacy of intravenous ketamine for treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 71(6), 681–688. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.62
Krystal, J. H., Davis, L. L., Neylan, T. C., Raskind, M. A., Schnurr, P. P., Stein, M. B., Vessicchio, J. C., Shiner, B., Gleason, T. C., Huang, G. D., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2018). It is time to address the crisis in the pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder: a consensus statement of the PTSD Psychopharmacology Working Group. Biological psychiatry, 84(10), 730–736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.05.017
Rodriguez, C. I., Kegeles, L. S., Levinson, A., Feng, T., Marcus, S. M., Vermes, D., Flood, P., & Simpson, H. B. (2013). Randomized controlled crossover trial of ketamine in obsessive-compulsive disorder: proof-of-concept. Neuropsychopharmacology, 38(12), 2475–2483. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2013.150
Pedraz, M., López-Moreno, J. A., De la Torre, R., Garcés-Robles, M. A., Campos-Campos, M. A., Parcet-Ibars, M. A., García-Caldentey, J., & Alonso, P. (2020). Ketamine reduces binge eating and alters plasma levels of endocannabinoids in patients with both anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Translational psychiatry, 10(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-010