Ketamine Treatment Options in New York

This pilot study is proposed to determine the acceptability, feasibility and potential efficacy of ketamine, a medication that modulates glutamate in the brain, as a rapid treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in adolescents and young adults with OCD. This study will recruit 6 youth (ages 14-22) who are diagnosed with clinically significant OCD and have failed at least one adequate trial of a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SRI) medication and a course of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (unless unable to access or tolerate) for OCD in the past. Participants will receive a single infusion of intravenous ketamine and be assessed at regular intervals post-infusion for up to 14 days. At the end of the 14-day treatment phase, all participants will be offered three months of open treatment for OCD with medication and/or CBT. Read Less

This is a multi-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the acute efficacy of brexpiprazole or placebo in combination with intranasal ketamine added to ongoing, stable, and adequate antidepressant therapy (ADT) in the treatment of adults with Major Depressive Disorder with Treatment Resistant Depression. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of the medication ketamine and the medication called nitroprusside in patients with major depression. Ketamine has both good and bad effects. Some studies have shown that ketamine improves depression. However, studies have also shown that it causes strange and sometimes unpleasant sensations referred to "psychotic" or "dissociative" symptoms. An example of a psychotic symptom would be hearing or seeing something that in reality is not there. The study team would like to see if nitroprusside can prevent the reported bad effects of ketamine without blocking the reported good effects. This might make ketamine a better treatment for depression. Read Less

This study is designed to compare the effectiveness of two medications, Ketamine and Midazolam, for rapidly relieving suicidal thoughts in people suffering from depression. The first drug, Ketamine, is an experimental antidepressant that early studies have shown may quickly reduce suicidal thoughts, but we are not sure how well it may work. Midazolam, the comparison drug, is not thought to reduce depression or suicidal thoughts. Read Less

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm parallel, single-center study. One hundred subjects (50 in each arm) will be enrolled. Subjects, between the ages 18 and 65, undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy will be recruited and consented during the preadmission visit prior to surgery. Read Less

This study is designed to compare the effectiveness of two medications, Ketamine and Midazolam, for rapidly relieving suicidal thoughts in people suffering from bipolar depression. The first drug, ketamine, is an experimental antidepressant that early studies have shown may quickly reduce suicidal thoughts, but we are not sure how well it may work. Midazolam, the comparison drug, is not thought to reduce depression or suicidal thoughts. Read Less

Cannabis use disorders remain a significant public health problem. The pharmacological facilitation of behavioral treatment represents a promising strategy for addressing disordered cannabis use. Cannabis use disorders are recognized to be associated with various vulnerabilities that complicate the course of treatment and that may be amenable to glutamate modulators. The purpose of this single blind open-label trial is to test the feasibility of administering glutamate modulators in conjunction with motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) for cannabis use disorders. Read Less

Alcohol use disorders remain a significant public health problem. The pharmacological facilitation of behavioral treatment represents a promising strategy for addressing disordered drinking. Alcohol use disorders are recognized to be associated with various vulnerabilities that complicate the course of treatment and that may be amenable to glutamate modulators. The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial is to test various glutamate modulators in conjunction with motivational enhancement therapy (MET) for alcohol use disorders. Read Less

Propofol is one of the most popular anesthetic drugs used for sedation during upper gastrointestinal endoscopies due to its quick onset and quick resolution of symptoms allowing patients to leave the hospital sooner. However, when administered it can also slow the breathing of patients and cause others to have upper airway obstruction (such as snoring) which can impede proper spontaneous breathing. Ketamine is an agent that is capable of providing both pain control and sedation while having either minimal effect on breathing or promoting spontaneous breathing. Combining Ketamine with Propofol has the potential to reduce the total amount of Propofol used resulting in a procedure being performed under the same level of sedation but without the downside of reduced spontaneous breathing. Patients who are obese (defined as body mass index greater than 35) tend to be even more susceptible to this effect of Propofol. The researchers are investigating whether the addition of Ketamine will indeed allow for this continued comfortable level of sedation while promoting continued spontaneous breathing in obese patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopies. Read Less

Depressed patients will be offered experimental treatment with a new, potentially fast-acting antidepressant called ketamine while being scanned by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the chemical effect of the drug. Ketamine will be given in a dose of 0.0 (placebo), 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, or 0.5 mg/kg. If a patient does not respond to ketamine after the first infusion, it may be because s/he received ketamine placebo or the dose of ketamine was too low. In that case, an optional second scan and infusion of active ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) will be offered. This second scan will occur no later than weeks after the first scan/infusion (as scheduling permits). There is no guarantee that the patient will respond to the second ketamine infusion. Patients enrolled in the study are eligible for up to 6 months treatment with their study psychiatrist after the ketamine infusion(s). Healthy Volunteers: Healthy controls will receive an infusion of ketamine at a single dose (0.5 mg/kg). Volunteers will only receive one MRI scan and infusion. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in patient outcomes with general anesthesia versus spinal anesthesia when given in addition to popliteal and adductor canal nerve blocks for foot and ankle surgery. Popliteal and adductor canal nerve blocks are injections of local anesthetic agents near nerves in the back and front of the knee going to the foot and ankle that provide numbness during and after surgery. These peripheral nerve blocks offer good pain control and reduce the need for opioids (opioids are pain medications such as morphine, Dilaudid, and oxycodone). General anesthesia involves the flow of oxygen and anesthesia gas through a tube which, along with additional intravenous medications, causes unconsciousness and unawareness of sensations during surgery. Spinal anesthesia involves an injection of local anesthetic in the lower back, which causes numbness below the waist. In addition to spinal anesthesia, a sedative is typically given intravenously to cause relaxation and sleepiness throughout surgery. General, spinal, and nerve block anesthesia are all routinely used for surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery. General or spinal anesthesia is typically used in addition to peripheral nerve blocks during foot and ankle surgery to 1) allow the surgeons to use a thigh tourniquet to reduce bleeding, 2) provide anesthesia earlier, and 3) prevent unwanted movement. However, it is unclear whether general or spinal anesthesia provides better patient outcomes when given with peripheral nerve blocks. Some reports show that on its own, spinal anesthesia has advantages over general anesthesia in terms of side effects such as nausea and pain. However, these advantages may also be gained from combining peripheral nerve blocks with general anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia can be associated with headache and backache, although headache and backache can also happen after operations performed with general anesthesia. A previous study at the Hospital for Special Surgery showed low rates of nausea among patients who received nerve blocks with spinal anesthesia, and no nausea among patients who received a nerve block with general anesthesia. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to determine if, as a treatment, either general or spinal anesthesia has advantages over the other treatment in terms of readiness for discharge, side effects, pain and patient satisfaction in an ambulatory foot and ankle population. Read Less

This study is examining the safety and effectiveness of two medications, ketamine and riluzole, in treating patients with treatment resistant major depressive disorder. This study will also examine the effectiveness of an FDA approved drug called lamotrigine in decreasing the potential side effects associated with ketamine. Read Less