Ketamine Cystitis in a Female Patient Ketamine Therapy for Treatment Resistant Depression – Case Report
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Source: CrossRef
Summary
A significant safety concern has emerged for therapeutic ketamine, a promising antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression. While ulcerative cystitis, causing painful urinary symptoms and kidney damage, affects over 25% of recreational users, it was previously unreported in medical settings. The first documented case now links therapeutic ketamine use to this severe condition. A 28-year-old woman developed confirmed cystitis symptoms after starting ketamine for depression. This highlights a crucial safety consideration, emphasizing that early detection and stopping treatment are vital to prevent further harm.
Abstract
Abstract Ketamine has been shown to be a novel and exciting antidepressant medication in patients with treatment-resistant depression. A complication commonly seen in frequent and heavy recreational use of ketamine is ulcerative cystitis, which presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and upper renal tract damage, seen in over 25% of regular users (3, 4). Although KIC is a recognised complication in recreational use of ketamine, its occurrence in therapeutic use for depression has so far not been reported. The exact pathogenesis of ketamine induced cystitis is currently unknown, making treatment and prevention much more difficult. Early diagnosis of ketamine induced cystitis and immediate cessation of ketamine use has been shown to improve adverse urinary tract symptoms and prevent further damage. We present a case of a 28-year-old female who was started on ketamine treatment for depression, who developed symptoms of cystitis, which was confirmed by urine microscopy, culture and analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ketamine-induced cystitis in a patient receiving treatment-dose ketamine for antidepressant therapy.