Adverse Effects Associated With High-Dose Ketamine Infusions For Refractory Pain And Psychiatric Conditions.
Current pain and headache reports – June 19, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Even powerful treatments like Ketamine, when used at high doses for conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Treatment Resistant Depression, require careful consideration. Examining high-dose Ketamine infusions reveals common Adverse Effects. Patients may experience psychiatric symptoms, including Emergence Reactions, agitation, or sleep disturbances, alongside emesis and potentially transient Hepatotoxicity. When properly monitored in a hospital, high-dose Ketamine appears safe, though some effects are dose-dependent.
Abstract
As higher doses of ketamine are being used in numerous medical conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), it is critical to examine common adverse effects (AEs) explicitly associated with high doses of ketamine (HDK). HDK is often associated with psychiatric symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Psychiatric effects have been documented in various methods of administration of HDK, including oral, intravenous, and intranasal formulations. Emesis is a common AE of HDK and is more prevalent at higher ketamine doses. Hepatotoxicity is common after HDK, is dose-dependent, and is usually transient. HDK-induced uropathy is another potential AE. When monitored appropriately, HDK administered in a hospital setting appears safe; practitioners should be mindful that certain AEs of HDK are likely dose-dependent.