Ketamine as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Trial

Official title: Randomized Controlled Trial of Repeated-Dose Intravenous Ketamine for PTSD

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to study new ways to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current treatments for PTSD do not work for everyone and it can take time to determine whether a person responds to a chosen treatment. The purpose of this study is to see whether ketamine, when given repeatedly intravenously can produce a quick and persistent improvement in PTSD symptoms. At higher doses, ketamine has been used for many years as an anesthetic for medical procedures, and at lower doses may be an effective treatment in patients with major depression and PTSD. Ketamine given for PTSD is investigational, which means that the FDA has not yet approved the drug for treating this condition. In this study, the effects of ketamine will be compared to those of midazolam. Midazolam has similar acute anesthetic effects compared to ketamine but has not been shown to treat or alleviate any symptoms of PTSD. This makes midazolam an appropriate substance to gauge whether ketamine can treat or alleviate PTSD symptoms thereby acting as what we call an active control.

Clinical Trial Description

Ketamine is an approved medication in several countries for the induction of general anesthesia and for use as adjunct to other anesthetics. Intravenous ketamine is being developed and tested for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

All subjects will be administered the study medication by the study anesthesiologists and under the direct supervision of the investigator or designee. On all dosing days, all subjects must remain at the clinical site until at least 4 hours post-dose (or longer if required for study procedures) and will be accompanied by a responsible adult when discharged from the clinical site. The end of study will occur when the last subject in the trial completes his/her last study assessment. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Stress Disorders, Traumatic

• NCT number: NCT02397889
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• Start date: May 18, 2015
• Completion date: January 27, 2020