Ketamine: An emerging agent in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Asian journal of psychiatry – April 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Once used solely as an anesthetic, ketamine has emerged as a groundbreaking treatment for multiple mental health conditions. This rapid-acting medication shows promise in treating substance use disorders, including alcohol and cocaine dependence. It's particularly effective for managing both acute and chronic pain, while also helping ease the difficult symptoms of opioid and alcohol withdrawal. Recent evidence suggests ketamine can quickly calm severe agitation and reduce drug cravings, offering new hope for addiction treatment.
Abstract
Ketamine's unique pharmacological profile, safety, modulation of multiple neurotransmitter systems, and ability to produce neuroplastic changes make it a subject of study with implications for a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders beyond its traditional use as an anesthetic agent. This article aims to provide an overview of the pharmacology of ketamine and briefly discuss its emerging use in treating: substance use disorders (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opioids); withdrawal syndromes (opioid and alcohol); acute and chronic pain syndromes; and severe psychomotor agitation. Ketamine for the treatment of depression and suicidality is well established; however, the focus of this paper is to outline less common indications.