Treating chronic pain with low dose ketamine and adjunct therapies within a biopsychosocial approach: a case series.
Shahar Almog, Michelle Weiner, Jessica N Howarth, Jenelle Becerra, Jacobo D Fux, Meredith S Berry
Frontiers in Pain Research 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2025.1675821 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Disabled chronic pain patients treated in a private clinic in Florida, United States |
| Interventions | low-dose ketamine somatic therapies |
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Biopsychosocial approach Case report Case series Chronic pain Ketamine assisted psychotherapy Rehabilitation |
| Key findings | A multidisciplinary approach combining low-dose ketamine with psychological and somatic therapies may improve quality of life and reduce suffering in disabled chronic pain patients, though results are preliminary. |
Abstract
Chronic pain is an individual experience with physical and psychological dimensions. Ketamine is used in sub-anesthetic doses to treat chronic pain. We describe a proposed multidisciplinary approach with combined treatment of low-dose ketamine and pain-focused psychological and somatic therapies to benefit quality of life of disabled chronic pain patients. Beyond pain reduction, within the biopsychosocial approach, the treatment aims to achieve reduced suffering and improved pain management, functionality, and quality of life. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach can minimize exposure to ketamine and maintain a conservative ketamine dosing regimen. In this way, ketamine is not only used for the analgesic effects, but also to facilitate internal psychological processes of body-mind integration related to the pain identity and trauma. We illustrate the presented treatment approach with three cases of patients treated in a private clinic in Florida, United States. We describe the patients' original injury, ketamine and adjunct psychological and somatic therapies regimen, and short and longer-term outcomes from the patient's perspective. These results are preliminary, require replication with validated measures, and represent an opportunity for additional research and hypothesis formation. More clinical research on ketamine and adjunct therapies for chronic pain conditions is warranted to advance treatment options.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ketamine, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 12
- Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation American Journal of Psychiatry March 17, 2021
- Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology February 21, 2013
- Neuroplasticity as a convergent mechanism of ketamine and classical psychedelics TIPS - Trends in Pharmacological Sciences September 24, 2021
- Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: comprehensive systematic review BJPsych Open December 23, 2021
- Chronic pain and psychedelics: a review and proposed mechanism of action Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine May 4, 2020
and 7 more in the library