In a new study, researchers found that reducing the standard dose of IV-administered ketamine in half is as effective as the larger, standard dose in reducing pain in adults.
The research was conducted by a team at Loyola Medicine.
Ketamine is known to provide pain relief comparable to opioid medications, which are highly addictive.
In the study, the researchers examined 98 patients, ages 18 to 59, who presented to the emergency department with acute, moderate to severe pain.
The patients were prospectively to receive either 0.15 mg/kg of ketamine (low dose) or 0.30 mg/kg (high dose).
Patients and providers were blinded to dose, with the primary outcome of pain measured on the 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) at 30 minutes.
At 15 minutes, the high dose group had a greater decrease in pain on the NRS but more adverse events. At 30 minutes, adverse events and pain were similar.
Overall, patients generally reported that they would take ketamine again for pain – 75.6% in the low-dose group and 61.7% in the high-dose group.
The findings challenged the conventional ketamine dose used to treat pain. The team says the study helps demonstrate that a lower dose is sufficient to treat pain.
The study did not find a big reduction in side effects from the lower dose, they warn.
As they continue with the research, they hope to find data that supports diminished side effects with the lower dose of ketamine with equal efficacy in treating pain.
One author of the study is Shannon Lovett, MD, an emergency medicine physician.
The study is published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.
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