Ketamine for substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Frontiers in Psychiatry July 17, 2026 Shu-Ping Fang, Xin Yang, Da-Cong Zhao et al.
A meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials with 798 participants found that ketamine treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) significantly improved abstinence rates in the short term (less than one month), but not at one to six months. Dropout rates and adverse events did not differ significantly between ketamine and control groups, though the available evidence was too limited to establish safety conclusively. The authors conclude that current evidence suggests a short-term efficacy signal for ketamine in SUD, but remains insufficient to establish its efficacy and safety definitively.