Recent research proves ketamine is improving many mental health disorders.

How antidepressants work

Research has exploded in the field of ketamine because scientists have recently discovered that there are many ketamine therapy benefits for mental health. According to PubMed, almost 2,000 ketamine research articles will be published in 2023.

Why so much interest in ketamine? Ketamine has been used as an anesthetic for decades, ever since the FDA approved its medical use as an anesthetic for surgery in 1970. But now, instead of using ketamine for the body, scientists have begun using it for the mind.

In 2000, scientists at Yale published the first clinical trial showing that ketamine had lowered symptoms of depression in their patients. Since then, researchers have replicated those results and have also broadened the applications for ketamine’s potential in the field of mental health.

Research has shown that ketamine therapy may be able to treat depression, treatment-resistant depression, generalized and social anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and alcohol use disorder.

There are a few reasons why ketamine is showing so much promise in so many applications.

Ketamine Health Effects

Ketamine therapy is safe

While anesthetic ketamine is routinely and safely used during surgery, ketamine therapy uses sub-anesthetic, or low doses during treatments. In order to determine if low doses were still considered safe for patients, a 2021 review combined the results of 15 major ketamine studies. Their only findings showed that low doses of ketamine did cause transient changes in blood pressure and heart rate, but the researchers felt reassured that ketamine is safe for the general population. Still, it is important to assess any potential cardiovascular risks, which is why medical supervision is so important in ketamine clinic. While being supervised, risks are minimal.

Ketamine induces benefits quickly

Unlike SSRIs or anxiolytic medications that take weeks or months to take effect, patients can start seeing the benefits of ketamine therapy in as little as an hour. The studies described below show that on the same day as a ketamine therapy session, patients experience relief from anxiety, depression, and even such severe symptoms as suicidal thoughts.

Ketamine metabolizes quickly

Another benefit to ketamine is that it doesn’t stay in your system long. After administration, ketamine is processed through your liver and half of it is metabolized within 2.5 hours. Depending on the dose received, within a few hours of leaving the ketamine clinic, patients can go about the rest of their day as they normally would.

How Does Ketamine Work?

Ketamine works by blocking the NMDA receptor in the brain, leading to an increase of the neurotransmitter, glutamate. This action seems to play a key part in neuroplasticity, allowing the formation of new neural pathways in the brain. The ability to increase neural activity in new areas of the brain may be how long-term disorders like depression are alleviated more quickly with ketamine therapy.

Ketamine also affects serotonin and dopamine levels, which also contribute to the improvements seen in mood disorders. Scientists are still trying to piece together why ketamine works so quickly and so well for mental health.

Dr. Mikael Tiger, a psychiatrist and researcher in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden summarizes how ketamine works:

"Ketamine has a broad mechanism of action — it does a lot of things."

What Is Ketamine Therapy?

Ketamine therapy involves the administration of ketamine, as well as talk therapy before, during and after the treatment. The administration is typically done through an IV, where a needle is placed in the arm and ketamine drips into the bloodstream.

There are other ways to administer ketamine, such as intramuscular (ketamine injection into the leg muscle), sublingual (ketamine drops under the tongue), and a nasal spray (ketamine particles are inhaled).

A typical treatment session would involve a patient lying down and receiving one IV injection. They might be listening to calm, meditative music while wearing eyeshades so that they can focus their attention inward. For about an hour, they are supervised for safety while ketamine takes the patient on any number of experiences, from serene and peaceful scenes to past memories, or frightening ones (which typically is beneficial), to feeling like floating. Patients can then discuss the session immediately or anytime afterwards.

After a ketamine therapy session, they can be sent home, feeling better and maybe with some insights they gained during the session. They will typically return to the clinic on a weekly basis for 5 additional weeks of ketamine therapy.

Below is a summary of evidence showing that ketamine therapy works.

Ketamine Therapy for Depression

One of the major ketamine therapy benefits is in the treatment of depression. As a disorder that afflicts 5% of all adults globally, there is a great need for a treatment.

Ketamine is effective at alleviating anxiety symptoms

Many studies have shown that ketamine is a fast-acting compound. One early study found that patients reported less symptoms of depression within 2 hours of a ketamine session while another study found that scores for depression decreased within 40 minutes of a single intravenous (IV) injection of ketamine. The effects from both studies lasted up to 7 days. This is why patients typically return to a ketamine clinic on a weekly basis.

In a more recent study, researchers also noticed improvements in cognition within a day and that lower depression effects lasted up to six weeks.

Ketamine reduces suicidal and self-harming thoughts

A CNN news report featured a patient who had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and PTSD and had been suicidal for 35 years. After his treatment with ketamine, he felt better within hours and says he has not had “one single thought” about suicide since.

Because of this profound and fast-acting phenomenon, some doctors refer to ketamine as a “save shot” for severely depressed and suicidal patients.

A retrospective review of medical charts for 424 patients with treatment-resistant depression analyzed how effective ketamine was at reducing their symptoms of depression. They found that after 6 weeks, scores in self-harm and suicidal ideation had decreased by 50% while half of patients no longer reported any suicidal ideation by that point.

In 2019, the FDA approved a ketamine nasal spray medication for treatment-resistant depression. Studies have shown that esketamine showed significant improvement in depression scores after using esketamine for a month when compared to the placebo group. Since the approval, the prescription, called esketamine (Spravato), can only be administered in a “certified medical office where the health care provider can monitor the patient.”

Ketamine therapy is becoming more well-known and with the support of the FDA, many ketamine clinics are opening in major cities to provide this treatment.

Ketamine Therapy for Anxiety

Ketamine therapy for anxiety, both generalized and social anxiety, has also shown great promise and great results. This may be related to the way ketamine works. When used for surgery, ketamine helps not only to relax the body, but also calms the mind, especially when patients are nervous about their upcoming surgery.

More recently, scientists have started investigating how ketamine therapy might benefit those with anxiety. A couple of studies have already shown promise that ketamine may reduce the strong, and sometimes debilitating symptoms of anxiety.

Ketamine is Effective at Alleviating Anxiety Symptoms

One small study in 2018 showed that patients who had either generalized or social anxiety disorder reported less anxiety as quickly as within an hour of ketamine treatment. The relief they experienced lasted up 7 days.

A year later, the same team led a larger study with 20 patients that lasted 3 months. This time, they found that when patients were given weekly doses of ketamine for that entire time period, patients reported that overall, they were doing better socially and/or at work. This study was important because it showed that the positive effects of ketamine may be prolonged with maintenance, or routine care.

A 2021 review of ketamine for anxiety spectrum disorders (which included social anxiety, PTSD and OCD) found that social anxiety in particular showed an increased likelihood of response to ketamine therapy.

Ketamine Therapy for PTSD

Since research has shown so many benefits for depression and anxiety, symptoms which are also observed in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), scientists are investigating how beneficial ketamine might be for these patients.

One pivotal double-blind study compared ketamine to an active placebo (midazolam) in 41 patients for the treatment of PTSD. Researchers found a “significant and rapid” decrease in PTSD symptoms after just 24 hours. In addition, they found that the secondary depressive symptoms that these patients were suffering from were also alleviated. This was the first study to show that ketamine may prove beneficial for the treatment of PTSD.

A review of ketamine research for PTSD discussed how complex PTSD was to treat, not only because of the many symptoms involved, but also because of the possible limitations of ketamine. Regardless, they still maintained that novel treatments are needed for PTSD and that ketamine may be helpful with more research.

As of May, 2023, there are 10 ketamine clinical trials currently recruiting patients with PTSD all around the world.

Ketamine’s Future Potential
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Two small studies have proven that ketamine may also benefit those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and now, many newer studies are underway.

One study with 15 patients found that a single infusion of ketamine showed significant improvement in the almost constant obsessive thoughts. Another study showed that although some of the depressive symptoms returned some time after the ketamine had worn off, the obsessive symptoms did not.

There are 4 clinical trials that are currently recruiting or enrolling in studies.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Ketamine therapy may also benefit those who are dealing with alcohol use disorder.

A recent review of ketamine for alcohol use disorder analyzed 11 studies and concluded that patients were able to achieve abstinence and less drinking when they received both ketamine and psychotherapy treatment.

Currently, a phase 3 clinical trial is recruiting 280 patients in the UK in the largest study to explore the use of ketamine therapy for severe alcohol use disorder. These results may lead to the possibility of a prescribed treatment for those struggling with alcohol use disorder.

Currently Recruiting Studies

There are over 200 studies currently recruiting for various ketamine trials, though some of those are studying the effects on surgery.

Ketamine has shown some promise for at least some chronic pain relief and more studies are needed. One study is recruiting for chronic daily headaches, chronic cluster headaches, and fibromyalgia.

There are also ketamine studies for bipolar depression, opioid use disorder, and tobacco use disorder.

Is Ketamine Right for You?

With so much research going on in the field of ketamine, it’s hard not to be curious about how ketamine therapy might benefit you.

We specialize in ketamine therapy treatments and have a team of experts that are dedicated to getting to know you and customizing your ketamine therapy treatment to your needs, so that you can get the most benefits from each session.

Contact us today to talk to a specialist or to book an intake and consultation with us.

If you connected with the above write-up, are curious, and need some guidance, psychedelic medicines such as Ketamine can really support this process of healing, self-discovery, and purpose. Click below to find out more.

Author: Alexa Julianne

Alexa Julianne works at MAPS to support MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of PTSD. With a professional background as a clinical lab scientist, she also has a comprehensive understanding of the many recent and ongoing clinical trials investigating the medical use of all psychedelics. As a writer, she provides research-based educational articles about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. She is an advocate of psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health, wellness, and healing and continues to support the advancement of psychedelic clinical research.