In this week’s Journal Club session we discuss research relating to the use of ketamine for alcohol use disorder. Ketamine is an anesthetic agent that has been used in medicine for decades and as a club drug for many years, and is now being studied and used in a variety of on-label and off-label settings to treat depression. New research has shown efficacy in the treatment of alcohol use disorder and larger research studies are being planned to examine the issue further.
Alcohol is the most used and misused substance in the United States, with alcohol use disorder (AUD) affecting more than 28 million Americans, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. While there are a number of safe and effective treatments for alcohol use disorder (including naltrexone, disulfiram, and acamprosate) there is a need for more research in this area to help patients who aren’t benefitting from current treatments.
In this session we discuss the following publications:
Could Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Help Treat Alcohol Disorder?
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