Yale study found no safety issues with long-term ketamine treatment

Researchers at Yale published a new study titled “Acute and Longer-Term Outcomes Using Ketamine as a Clinical Treatment at the Yale Psychiatric Hospital” in Clinical Psychiatry.  In late 2014, Yale began providing ketamine as an off-label therapy on a case-by-case basis for patients who could not participate in research protocols.  The authors observed 54 patients that received IV ketamine infusion for the treatment of severe and treatment-resistant mood disorders such as depression.

“Ketamine is being used as an off-label treatment for depression by an increasing number of providers, yet there is very little long-term data on patients who have received ketamine for more than just a few weeks,” Samuel T. Wilkinson, MD, from the department of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and Yale Psychiatric Hospital, told Healio Psychiatry.

The Yale researchers studied the acute and longer-term outcomes in this patient population. Importantly, a subset of patients (n=14) received ketamine on a long-term basis, ranging from 12 to 45 total treatments, over a course of 14 to 126 weeks.  The researchers found no evidence of cognitive decline, increased proclivity to delusions, or emergence of symptoms consistent with cystitis in this subset of long-term ketamine patients.  They also reported that the infusions were generally well-tolerated.

Although this study population was relatively small, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn, this is still an important first step in establishing the long-term safety of ketamine for the treatment of a myriad of diseases that it’s being used to treat.

If you or someone you know is depressed, please make an appointment to see if you are a good candidate for ketamine.  Dr. Ashraf Hanna is located in Clearwater, FL and is one of the leading experts in IV ketamine therapy.  Dr. Hanna is a licensed anesthesiologist and Director of Pain Management at the Florida Spine Institute.  He has performed thousands of infusions and patients travel from all over the world to benefit from his expertise. If you want to learn more, visit his website and listen to his patient testimonies. You won’t be disappointed!  What are you waiting for?  Make an appointment today!