A team of University of Connecticut researchers have published a paper in the journal “Annals of Pharmacotherapy” detailing their positive findings on the use of ketamine infusion therapy in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although ketamine has previously been approved for use in patients with treatment-resistant depression, the team’s research, led by Pharmacy Practice Department Head C. Michael White, proves for the first time that the anesthetic drug has considerable potential in “rapidly reducing” symptoms of PTSD.
The implications of this research are wide-reaching for much of the population, with 13 million individuals having PTSD in the United States alone. Standard treatment features a combination of prescription drugs and trauma-focused psychotherapy, techniques which may work for some patients but may not work for others.
The mental health world has long struggled with the imperfect nature of traditional pharmaceutical antidepressants, which although largely safe and effective, can be problematic. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, referred to as SSRIs, and the functionally similar class of SNRIs, are the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of depressive symptoms, including those present in PTSD.
These compounds play a key role in the long-term management of symptomatic depression and have a considerable likelihood of reducing PTSD symptoms, with a positive response in 60% of patients. There are some drawbacks to these substances, including that, “the effects of SSRIs may take up to 6 weeks before the patients feel the effects of treatment,” the National Institute of Health reports.
“What’s most important is that there is now a drug option that can work acutely (immediately) for patients with PTSD,” White said, going on to describe ketamine as a fast-acting “tool” in the pharmaceutical “toolbox” of prescription treatments.
Ketamine acts instantaneously to reduce the effects of PTSD, with a 25% decrease in symptoms both one day and one week after the first session, states the study.
“If you could administer something that would give you a similar benefit to what you could get with a regular antidepressant drug, but get it the next day, then this therapy can be a bridge to other therapies,” White said.
What’s most important is that there is now a drug option that can work acutely (immediately) for patients with PTSD.
C. Michael White, Department Head of Pharmacy Practice at UConn.
Health professionals now envision the role of ketamine as an intermediary, stepping in before long-term antidepressants can take effect. “Some people with severe PTSD may be experiencing suicidal thoughts,” White said, “time is of the essence.”
The long-term therapeutic potential of ketamine trends positively, but has yet to be reliably assessed by current studies. The UConn study followed patients over the course of a four week period, where the effectiveness of ketamine dropped from the initial 25% down to 12% – “modest but still significant,” White commented.
Until recently, the study of ketamine, a dissociative, and psychedelics, including psilocybin and MDMA, for mental health treatment has been largely impossible due to U.S. regulatory agencies and the war on drugs. For the first time, individuals who suffer from mental illness may be able to utilize these substances for their healing potential.
“Ketamine and psychedelics approach the mental health disorder in a different way,” White said, who noted the scientific community’s excitement for these novel therapies. Instead of “chronic” PTSD medications to be taken on a regular basis, MDMA, a psychedelic stimulant and now ketamine, may be used for isolated perspective-shifting experiences under the guidance of medical professionals.
Ketamine is not, however, a miracle drug. It is currently reserved for severe cases of treatment-resistant mental illnesses, costing $800 per injection and only being available at a small subset of trained clinics. Additionally, it is critical that administration of the drug be conducted in a supervised medical setting, where breathing abnormalities can be corrected due to the substance’s depressant effects. Furthermore, therapeutic ketamine sourced from black markets may contain harmful chemicals that can result in overdose and death.
Ketamine’s journey from the street drug “Special K” to a valuable healing resource for victims of extreme trauma is not yet over. Widespread adoption of ketamine treatment will take time, as the tasks of training staff, equipping medical facilities to handle the hours-long session and making the drug more affordable for patients still remain.