Safety and tolerability of intramuscular and sublingual ketamine for psychiatric treatment in the Roots To Thrive ketamine-assisted therapy program: a retrospective chart review.
Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology – January 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Ketamine-assisted therapy in a community setting shows promising safety and tolerability for treating depression. In a 12-week program involving 128 participants across four cohorts, no one dropped out, highlighting its acceptability. Of the 448 sessions, 49.16% resulted in elevated blood pressure post-treatment, while 12.05% experienced nausea and 2.52% had vomiting. Other mild effects included headaches and dizziness. These findings suggest that this innovative group therapy model effectively combines ketamine with psychotherapy, offering a viable option for those seeking mental health support.
Abstract
In the last few years, ketamine is becoming increasingly common in the treatment of mental health conditions, but there is a lack of safety data informing intramuscular and sublingual dosing in a community-focused group psychotherapy setting. The Roots To Thrive ketamine-assisted therapy (RTT-KaT) program is a unique 12-week RTT-KaT program with 12 community of practice (a form of group therapy) sessions and three ketamine medicine sessions. This study reports on adverse effects of intramuscular and sublingual ketamine dosing in a community group psychotherapy setting among 128 participants across four cohorts. Retrospective chart review. A chart review of the RTT-KaT Program was performed retrospectively on four cohorts (n = 128) that participated in 448 sessions running between September 2020 and December 2021. Baseline characteristics and adverse events were captured including medication administration before, during, and after RTT-KaT sessions. Analyses by session and by individual were conducted. Chi-square test with Yates' continuity correction was used to assess side effects in subgroups from ketamine administration. RTT-KaT was well tolerated with none of the 128 participants dropping out of the program. Primarily, of the 448 sessions, 49.16% had elevated blood pressures post-KaT session by session. In terms of other adverse effects, 12.05% of participant-sessions experienced nausea, 2.52% had an episode of vomiting, 3.35% had a headache, and seven participant-sessions experienced dizziness. Analysis by individual revealed congruent findings. These findings suggest good safety and tolerability for RTT-KaT among individuals seeking treatment for mental health issues. The majority of participants did not experience adverse reactions and the adverse events that were recorded involved transient symptoms that were resolved with rest and/or medications. The group therapy model described provides a comprehensive approach and presents a promising model for operating a KaT program in a community setting.