Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
May 29, 2026
Yogendra Singhal, Pavan Gaurav R, Sreeharsh Saji et al.
Depression is a common and serious concern in cancer patients, significantly impacting quality of life, treatment adherence, and overall prognosis. While traditional antidepressants often take weeks to exert therapeutic effects, ketamine has emerged as a potential alternative due to its rapid antidepressant action. This systematic review explores the efficacy, safety, and clinical role of...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
December 27, 2025
Shannon Moriarty, Anna Dushenkov, Kathleen M. Frey
Cancer patients frequently experience pain and depression, yet current guidelines address these conditions separately and do not recommend a single agent for concurrent management. Ketamine and its S-enantiomer esketamine, through N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonism and glutamate modulation, may offer dual benefit. This paper examined ten clinical studies published between 2018 and 2024...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
June 1, 2025
Nathan Smith, Sanny Juresic, Kia Lor et al.
Intravenous (IV) magnesium sulfate, a versatile electrolyte, plays a pivotal role across various medical domains. From cardiac care to obstetrics, gastrointestinal to pulmonary therapies, the impact is far-reaching among acute care services. Notably, in the postoperative phase of care, it shares intriguing similarities with ketamine as an NMDA receptor antagonist. This case series describes the...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
April 30, 2025
André Luis Vieira Drumond, Lucas Nunes Bandeira de Melo, Marina Ayres Delgado
1 citation
Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a debilitating condition that affects up to 50% of patients after procedures like inguinal herniorrhaphy, significantly impairing quality of life. This case report describes a 63-year-old male who experienced refractory CPSP for 5 years following inguinal hernia repair. The patient reported persistent pain despite multiple pharmacological treatments,...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
March 1, 2025
Miranda Hetrick, Emily Casey, Jacob Radcliff et al.
2 citations
Ketamine is an N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist used to treat pain at subanesthetic doses. Ketamine is beneficial for pain control in patients who have a high tolerance to opioids and are experiencing opioid-induced hyperalgesia. This study characterizes oral ketamine use for analgesia at a large academic hospital and reports safety outcomes for hospitalized patients. This study...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
December 1, 2024
Leslie Siegel, Kyle Quirk, Gary Houchard et al.
2 citations
Although weak evidence exists to support subanesthetic ketamine for cancer pain treatment, successful use may be hindered in the absence of standardized dosing guidance. We aimed to compare the success rates of intravenous ketamine fixed-rate versus weight-based dosing strategies for cancer pain treatment, and to assess patient characteristics that correlate with treatment success. We conducted...
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
September 1, 2024
Melissa A Day, Natasha Matthews, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
This study investigated the analgesic effects of a single session of mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness meditation (LKM) relative to a control. A total of 100 adults with chronic or current problematic pain completed a survey and were randomized to a 20-minute MM, LKM, or audiobook control. Co-primary outcomes of pain intensity and unpleasantness and mediators of mindfulness and...