Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2023
Daniella Batievsky, Michelle Weiner, Shari B Kaplan et al.
8 citations
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAPT) may reduce symptoms in people with both chronic pain and major depressive disorder. In an observational pilot study, ten participants received either high-dose intramuscular ketamine before therapy (psychedelic approach) or low-dose sublingual lozenges during therapy (psycholytic approach). Depression, pain, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms declined in all participants over six sessions. The psychedelic group showed larger and more consistent decreases. No statistically significant differences between the two approaches were found, likely due to the small sample size. The findings suggest KAPT may be effective for this comorbidity, with the psychedelic approach possibly more beneficial.
European journal of trauma & dissociation = Revue europeenne du trauma et de la dissociation
September 1, 2025
Shahar Almog, Albert Garcia-Romeu, Kathryn A Walker et al.
1 citation
People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who also have depression, anxiety, and sleep problems reported that ketamine treatment improved multiple PTSD symptoms, based on a survey of 202 real-world patients. Before starting ketamine, those with PTSD had more severe depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance than those without PTSD, but after treatment their scores were no different, indicating they responded equally well. Most PTSD patients also received psychotherapy, but similar improvements occurred in those who did not. Patients described ketamine as allowing them to reprocess trauma and improve a range of symptoms.
Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology
July 24, 2025
Shahar Almog, Maribel Rodriguez Perez, Deepthi S Varma et al.
In a survey of 201 patients receiving medical ketamine for psychiatric or pain conditions, most reported either a positive change (54.7%) or no change (44.3%) in their use of other substances. Those with a past history of problematic substance use showed significantly greater reductions than those with present or no such history. Patients described reduced craving, less need to self-medicate, and increased motivation to quit substances. Ketamine did not appear to induce or increase drug use among those with minimal or no prior use, though some reported risky behaviors such as using other psychedelics or substituting alcohol with recreational ketamine. Further research is needed to identify and protect at-risk patients.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2025
Shahar Almog, Michelle Weiner, Jessica N Howarth et al.
Chronic pain involves both physical and psychological factors. A proposed multidisciplinary approach combines low-dose ketamine with pain-focused psychological and somatic therapies to improve quality of life for disabled chronic pain patients. Beyond pain reduction, the treatment aims to reduce suffering and improve pain management, functionality, and quality of life. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach can minimize ketamine exposure and maintain a conservative dosing regimen. Ketamine is used not only for analgesic effects but also to facilitate internal psychological processes of body-mind integration related to pain identity and trauma. The approach is illustrated with three cases treated in a private clinic in Florida, describing original injury, treatment regimen, and short- and longer-term outcomes from the patient's perspective. These preliminary results require replication with validated measures.