Comparison of low-dose ketamine to methadone for postoperative pain in opioid addicts: a randomized clinical trial.
Anesthesia and pain medicine July 1, 2024 Elham Bakhtiari, Mehrdad Mokaram Dori, Millad Reza Darban Razavi et al.
For patients with opioid addiction undergoing surgery, ketamine is not inferior to methadone for managing postoperative pain. In a randomized clinical trial with 220 patients, those receiving intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg every 6 hours) and those receiving intramuscular methadone (5 mg every 8 hours) showed no significant differences in morphine use, pain scores, vital signs, or side effects such as delirium and gastrointestinal symptoms. The findings suggest that ketamine can serve as an effective alternative to methadone for postoperative pain in this population, though further trials are needed to confirm.