Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
JAMA Psychiatry April 16, 2014 Adriana Feder, Michael K. Parides, James W. Murrough et al. 618 citations
A single intravenous dose of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) rapidly reduced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity more than the active placebo midazolam in patients with chronic PTSD. Twenty-four hours after infusion, the ketamine group showed a mean reduction of 12.7 points on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised compared to midazolam. Ketamine also lessened comorbid depressive symptoms and improved overall clinical presentation. The treatment was generally well tolerated without persistent dissociative symptoms. These results suggest ketamine may offer a novel pharmacologic approach for chronic PTSD, though replication is needed.