Ketamine Treatment Options

Suicidal ideation (SI) associated with major and bipolar depression is commonly seen in a wide range of clinical practice situations including the emergency room (ER). Current treatment regimens are often unsatisfactory. About a third of patients fail to respond to currently available therapy, and there are no currently FDA indicated rapid acting treatments for SI. Suboptimal outcomes have triggered the search for new, well-tolerated and more effective forms of treatment. Small clinical trials suggest that low dose (0.5mg/kg) ketamine is safe and effective for SI. We believe adding music during ketamine infusion may reduce anxiety and lead to more reduced SI based on available evidence. We are testing the hypothesis that a single infusion of ketamine combined with music enhances tolerability and improves outcomes in the treatment of SI when combined with treatment as usual in a factorial study design. One treatment with Ketamine + music will be compared to compared to one-time treatment with ketamine alone, music alone, or treatment as usual. 50 individuals with a depressive episode and suicidal ideation will receive intravenous (IV) ketamine 0.5mg/kg infused over 40 minutes once with 60 minutes of music, 50 individuals will receive IV ketamine without music, 50 subjects will receive 60 minutes of music once, and 50 patients will receive treatment as usual without ketamine or music. We anticipate that the ketamine + music group will have statistically significant indices of improvement in the primary outcome, suicidal ideation scores on the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI) 4 weeks after the ketamine infusion. Secondary outcomes will include depression scores on the MontgomeryÅsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scale, adverse effects, and SSI scores at the end of 4 weeks. If, as we anticipate, the results indicate success of ketamine + music for SI, the work will identify new opportunities to more effectively manage patients with depression and suicidal ideation presenting to the ER. Read Less

NeuroRx is developing NRX-101, a fixed-dose combination oral capsule composed of d-cycloserine (DCS) and lurasidone for the maintenance of remission from Severe Bipolar Depression with Acute Suicidal Ideation (C-SSRS level 4 or 5) or Behavior (ASIB) in following initial stabilization. Patients with Severe Bipolar Depression and ASIB will be recruited in both inpatient and outpatient settings and, following informed consent, will be given an intravenous infusion of ketamine 0.5mg/kg over 40 minutes. Those who exhibit a satisfactory clinical response to ketamine will be randomly allocated to NRX-101 or to lurasidone alone (the comparator group). This study is conducted as a feasibility study for a pivotal phase 2b/3 clinical trial and the primary outcomes for this phase 2 study were blood levels of NRX-101, in order to confirm pharmaco-kinetics with remission from depression, as measured by BISS-derived MADRS and relapse as secondary outcomes. Read Less

This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of intranasal esketamine as maintenance antidepressant therapy in patients who have demonstrated clinical improvement with off-label intravenous racemic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. Read Less

Opioid medications such as morphine, hydrocodone and oxycodone are standard for treating pain after surgery, however there are disadvantages. Because of the way opioids work, gastric bypass patients may have an increased risk of having sedation or problems with breathing. In patients with sleep apnea, opioids may increase the risk of severe apnea. Ketamine is an alternative pain medicine that can be used to treat pain after surgery and may have fewer effects on breathing. Using ketamine as part of the regimen may be a better choice for laparoscopic gastric bypass patients. This study is being done to find out if intraoperative ketamine infusion combined with continuation for twenty-four hours post-surgery provides superior pain control and decreases post-operative opioid use versus standard non-ketamine therapy. Read Less

Acute vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) in sickle cell disease (SCD) are primarily managed with opioids. Tolerance and hyperalgesia to opioids develops due to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor mediated activation of the nociceptive system, and as a receptor antagonist, ketamine mitigates this. Intravenous (IV) ketamine has demonstrated efficacy in reducing post-operative, chronic, and cancer-related pain in pediatrics, as well as in reducing time to pain control in the emergency department (ED) in adults. Limited studies suggest efficacy in adult opioid-refractory SCD patients. This study is investigating the safety and tolerability of adjuvant low-dose IV ketamine bolus for pediatric SCD VOE in the ED, as well as its efficacy in improving pain control and reducing hospitalization. Read Less

This study aims at investigating the effectiveness of the drug, Ketamine, in combination with Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for people suffering from PTSD. Participation in the study includes Ketamine infusions, which occur once a week for three weeks. PE therapy sessions will be scheduled one day after each infusion, and may continue up to 12 weeks. After completely therapy, there will be two monthly follow-up assessment visits. Read Less

This is a prospective, randomized controlled trial which will be conducted to determine whether sub-dissociative dose ketamine (SDDK) can improve pain control in subjects with chronic pain syndrome presenting to the emergency department with exacerbation of their chronic pain. The investigators also aim to determine whether use of SDDK can reduce the amount of subsequent opioid pain medications required for adequate pain relief in this population. Read Less

This research study will be a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Because ketamine has yet to be directly studied as treatment for acute migraine headache in the emergency department, the research team is initially interested if ketamine can reduce pain scores in headache patients and reduce the incidence of recurrence while exhibiting an adequate safety profile. By using a placebo-controlled study design, the research team can adequately investigate the effectiveness of the medication in a subgroup previously not well studied. Read Less

This study will explore whether the use of a medication, Ketamine, can help patients who come to the ER with thoughts of suicide by improving their mood and reducing thoughts of suicide. Ketamine has been used for this purpose in patients who have been hospitalized, but it has not been well studied in the ER. The investigators are first trying to show that patients and doctors in the ER find the treatment acceptable. The investigators also hope to determine whether Ketamine is effective in decreasing the severity of patient's suicidal thinking while in the ER. If this treatment works, future studies will look at whether it can help patients be discharged from the hospital earlier. Research Procedures: Patients will be enrolled into the study on a voluntary basis after the research assistant has fully explained all the risks and benefits of the study (informed consent). Research assistants, Emergency Department staff, and the Psychiatry team will help identify patients for the study. Patients will be asked to complete surveys measuring the degree of their suicidal thinking and mood. Additional information will be collected on patients such as their demographics, current medications, and medical problems. Patients in the study will receive the medication, Ketamine, which will be given through an intravenous catheter (IV) at a dose based on the patient's weight and slowly infused over 40 minutes. Patients will be monitored during their stay in the Emergency Department by Emergency Department physicians and nurses for any signs of side effects to the medication. Patients will be asked to complete several surveys at specific time periods after the administration of Ketamine. All patients in the study will receive usual psychiatric care in addition to the study medication. Read Less

This is an observational study to assess the change in several psychological screening tools before and after a series of six ketamine infusions in paramedics who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of working in emergency medical services. Read Less

The purpose of this pilot study is to test the safety of oral ketamine to treat acute pain after amputation surgery. The objective of the proposed research is to conclusively determine if oral ketamine is a safe alternative analgesic to opioid for acute pain in subjects undergoing elective amputation of the lower extremity. All participants will receive oral ketamine. Read Less

A retrospective chart review of an open-label trial of low-dose ketamine administered to front-line Healthcare workers who were identified as experiencing acute stress disorder due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read Less