Micro-dose, macro-impact: Leveraging psychedelics in frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
A. Atoian, Harry C. R. Bowles, Sarah Gerhke, Suzy Atoian, N. Bowles, D. Thangathurai
Journal of Psychedelic Studies December 8, 2022 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2022.00227 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | Frontline physicians diagnosed with acute stress disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Intervention | Sublingual ketamine |
| Duration | 4–6-week follow-up |
| Key findings | Daily sublingual ketamine micro-doses were associated with improvements in anxiety, stress, PTSD, and depression in frontline physicians with acute stress disorder over 4–6 weeks. |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing high-levels of physician stress and burnout1. In order to help treat frontline colleagues who were diagnosed with acute stress disorder, we chose a non-psychedelic, ketamine micro-dose treatment strategy for symptom management.We provided care virtually, and all patients were prescribed sublingual ketamine once daily. Each patient was evaluated using the NIH-PROMIS CAT assessments for stress, depression, anxiety, and PTSD via a remote, HIPAA compliant patient self-reporting platform. Progress was tracked and assessed against a baseline value obtained prior to the start of treatment. Patient progress was evaluated at a 4–6-week interval. Patients did not report any significant side effects to the treatment regimen.100% (25/25) of patients experienced improved anxiety, 92% (23/25) experienced improved stress, 96% (24/25) experienced improved PTSD, and 91% (20/22) experienced improved depression.While we cannot draw definitive conclusions from the association demonstrated by this data, we believe these results demonstrate that further research into the efficacy of daily, short-term ketamine micro-doses for treatment of acute stress disorder is warranted.