Potential benefit of lamotrigine in managing ketamine use disorder.
Ming-Chyi Huang, Lian-Yu Chen, Chih-Ken Chen, Shih-Ku Lin
Medical Hypotheses February 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2015.11.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient with ketamine use disorder |
| Intervention | Lamotrigine |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Lamotrigine may reduce craving and ketamine use in ketamine use disorder. |
Abstract
Ketamine is an anesthetic derivative of phencyclidine (PCP; 'Angel dust') with dissociative, analgesic and psychedelic properties. Ketamine has become a popular recreational drug of abuse in many parts of the world in recent years. The preclinical studies demonstrate the reinforcing effects of ketamine and long-term ketamine abuse induces a delayed and persistent upregulation of dopamine system. In humans, there have been concerns about its liability to development of addiction. The dilemma of mental professionals in managing the treatment-seeking ketamine abusers comes from a lack of effective pharmacotherapy. Limiting evidence showed that lamotrigine, which inhibits glutamate release, is effective to reduce cocaine craving. We propose that lamotrigine might be beneficial for managing ketamine use disorder clinically. We also reported one case of ketamine use disorder who experienced a great reduction in craving and ketamine use after taking lamotrigine. Although the mechanisms underlying neuroadaptation and reward related to ketamine are not entirely clear, future clinical trials are needed to advance our understanding of the benefit yielded by lamotrigine to treat ketamine use disorder.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ketamine, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Long-term safety of ketamine and esketamine in treatment of depression Expert Opinion on Drug Safety April 13, 2022
- Ketamine and Lamotrigine Combination in Psychopharmacology: Systematic Review Cells February 12, 2022
- Ketamine use disorder: preclinical, clinical, and neuroimaging evidence to support proposed mechanisms of actions Intelligent Medicine March 7, 2022
- The Pharmacological Management of Ketamine Use Disorder: A Systematic Review. Journal of Addiction Medicine
- Off-label Use of Lamotrigine and Naltrexone in the Treatment of Ketamine Use Disorder: A Case Report. Journal of Addiction Medicine
and 3 more in the library
Cites 11
- Ketamine use: a review Addiction July 21, 2011
- Ketamine Anesthesia & Analgesia November 1, 1998
- Taming the Ketamine Tiger Anesthesiology August 6, 2010
- Attenuation of the Neuropsychiatric Effects of Ketamine With Lamotrigine Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 2000
- Ketamine and Rapid-Acting Antidepressants: A Window into a New Neurobiology for Mood Disorder Therapeutics Annual Review of Medicine October 23, 2014
and 6 more in the library