Ketamine and Alcohol use disorder

By:  Shannon Keane MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

A study published this month demonstrated that ketamine treatment may be able to help patients who suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD). The study demonstrated that a minimum of three ketamine infusions was associated with more days of abstinence from alcohol compared to the control group at the 6-month follow-up mark. The researchers found that it was important to include mindfulness-based relapse prevention therapy alongside of ketamine therapy to maximize results. This study was conducted as a double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2 clinical trial. The researchers studied 96 patients with severe alcohol use disorder who were all detoxified adults.

The 96 participants were randomly assigned to one of the following four conditions:

• 3 weekly ketamine infusions (0.8 mg/kg to be infused intravenously over 40 minutes) in addition to 1.5 hours of psychological therapy.
• 3 saline infusions (0.9% NS infused intravenously over 40 minutes), in addition to 1.5 hours of psychological therapy
• 3 ketamine infusions (0.8 mg/kg to be infused intravenously over 40 minutes), in addition to 1.5 hours of alcohol education
• 3 saline infusions (0.9% NS infused intravenously over 40 minutes), in addition to 1.5 hours of alcohol education.

All 96 Participants were provided with an alcohol diary to record their alcohol use throughout the process. The outcomes of the study were based off of self-reported days abstinent from alcohol. The outcomes showed that participants in the ketamine group had a significantly greater number of days abstinent from alcohol compared with the placebo group at 6-month follow-up. Ketamine Infusion therapy might be a great additional tool to help those who suffer with alcohol use disorder after they have detoxed from alcohol safely. 

---