ABSTRACT Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing condition with a high mortality rate. While medications such as methadone are valuable first-line therapies, retention is poor, with the highest dropout rates early in a treatment attempt. Poor outcomes are due in part to the very high rates of co-morbid depression in people with OUD, as depression can drive opioid use....
IMPORTANCE The comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is often treated inadequately. This study evaluated the impact of adding the opioid receptor blocker, naltrexone, to the NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine, for the treatment of MDD comorbid with AUD. In so doing, it also attempted to shed light on the contribution of opioid receptor...
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) involve diminished control, risky use, impaired social interactions, and physical dependence. Despite their global prevalence and burden, treatment options remain limited. Ketamine (KET), an NMDA receptor antagonist, may aid SUD treatment by modulating glutamatergic neurotransmission. This systematic review evaluates KET's role in SUD treatment. This review...
Ketamine’s rapid action and diverse physiological effects have made it an important drug in both anesthesia and mental health treatment. Clinically, it offers unique dissociative anesthetic properties, preserving stable vital signs during sedation and analgesia. Beyond its numbing effect, studies explore its influence on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and wider neurochemical systems...
Ketamine is a synthesized anesthetic drug that was used extensively as a surgical anesthetic in the 1960s. Currently, ketamine is being investigated extensively for its potential as a treatment for depression. However, the addictive nature of ketamine has become an issue that cannot be ignored at this stage. As of now, there is no clear understanding of the changes in striatal metabolites and...
Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic, is gaining increasing attention due to its multifaceted pharmacological properties. In addition to its use in anesthesia, ketamine exerts potent analgesic effects via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism, modulating pain perception and reducing central sensitization, particularly in chronic and neuropathic pain conditions. Emerging...
bioRxiv Preprint ServerJune 24, 2025Marco German Ghilotti, Ricardo Petrilli Fortuna, Kofi Osei-Abrefa Ayensu et al.
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Background The use of methamphetamine has continued to rise in the US. In addition to facilitating dopamine neurotransmission, methamphetamine indirectly increases glutamate release which activates N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Ketamine is a noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist. Ketamine also has actions on α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) and...
Opioid-related overdose deaths have reached record high levels, and novel treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed. The three United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for OUD function primarily at the mu-opioid receptor. While these remain the gold-standard treatment for OUD, they have shortcomings and treatment options separate from the opioid receptor...
Substance Use & MisuseMay 1, 2025Corinne L Chandler, Mance E Buttram, Matthew S Ellis1 citation
Data show that recreational ketamine use appears to be increasing. This study aimed to understand how ketamine fits into broader polysubstance use in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Survey data were collected from a sample of treatment-seeking individuals with OUD in March 2022. Of 301 respondents, 28.6% reported lifetime ketamine use. Ketamine use was more frequently reported among...
To report the symptoms and aetiology of ketamine use disorder (KUD), gauge the effectiveness of current treatment services and identify strategies to enhance patient access and outcomes. Mixed-methods, cross-sectional questionnaire. Electronic survey from November 2023 to April 2024. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling, social media and referrals from UK addiction treatment...