Authors' objectives: To determine whether there is any evidence to support the efficacy and/or effectiveness of oral ketamine treatment for ketamine use disorder.

Authors' results and conclusions: Currently, there are no studies reporting on the efficacy of oral ketamine for the treatment of ketamine use disorder. There is some very-low quality, low-level anecdotal evidence that may suggest the use of benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, naltrexone, and other pharmaceutical therapies for treating ketamine use disorder. Across all studies, there was no standard protocol for treatment regarding the methods such as frequency, dosage, and concomitant pharmaceutical therapy. Psychosocial therapies such as an in-patient treatment programs were often attempted first but the failure rate was known to be fairly high as in seven of 11 studies that used psychosocial therapies, patients relapsed after administration or at follow-up. Future studies should investigate conducting randomized controlled trials using standardized protocols of pharmacological or psychos Currently, there are no studies reporting on the efficacy of oral ketamine for the treatment of ketamine use disorder. There were 17 studies whereby pharmaceutical/psychosocial interventions were used to treat patients with ketamine use disorder. However, the evidence was very low-level, and low quality due to the majority being case studies and lacking methodological consistency.

Authors' methods: A systematic literature search was started on Aug 19, 2024. This literature search was conducted on commercial medical literature databases employing a combination of key words. No limitations on date of publication were implemented in any of these searches. A manual search was also planned and conducted on the references of the articles that were retrieved in full.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/research-services/evidence-based-medicine-and-systematic-reviews

Year Published: 2024

URL for published report: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-care-providers/guides/pharmacological-psychosocial-interventions-for-ketamine-use-disorder?lang=en

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Mini HTA

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: WorkSafeBC

Contact Address: 6591 Westminster Highway, Richmond, BC, V7C 1C6 Canada. Tel: 604-231-8417; Fax: 604-279-7698

Contact Name: ebpg@worksafebc.com

Contact Email: ebpg@worksafebc.com

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