Ketamine May Benefit Patients in Treatment for Alcohol Dependence

A single infusion of ketamine in combination with psychotherapy may help people with alcohol use disorder to reduce or stop drinking, according to a pilotstudy published today inAJP in Advance. Compared with participants who received the sedative midazolam, those who received ketamine had a lower likelihood of alcohol use over a three-week period.“Although alcohol-related costs exceed 1% of the gross national product in developed countries, most affected individuals are not in treatment,” wrote Elias Dakwar, M.D., of Columbia University Medical Center and colleagues. “Of those in treatment, a large number do not respond to available me dications or behavioral treatments. More effective pharmacotherapy options are needed, as well as methods to enhance efforts aimed at behavioral modification.”The study included 40 treatment-seeking adults with aDSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence but no other substance use. All participants received weekly motivational enhancement therapy sessions —focused on strategies to promote motivation and change substance use behaviors—over a five-week period. During the second week of therapy, the participants received one 52-minute infusion of either ketamine or midazolam, followed by an additional motivational enhancement therapy session 24 hour s later. (Midazolam was chosen as the active control because it alters consciousness without any known persistent effect on alcohol dependence, the authors noted.)During the three weeks after i...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: ajp in advance alcohol use disorder alcohol dependence Elias Dakwar heavy drinking infusion ketamine midazolam motivational enhancement therapy pharmacotherapy psychotherapy relapse Source Type: research