A pilot study of ketamine among individuals with tobacco use disorder: tolerability and initial impact on tobacco use outcomes.
Janice Chuang, Riley Carpenter Lide, Nikhil Kamath, Alison Oliveto, Merideth Addicott
Journal of addictive diseases January 20, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/10550887.2025.2450129 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA subanesthetic dose of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) was well tolerated in individuals with tobacco use disorder, but no significant effects were observed on cigarette smoking, craving, or withdrawal symptoms 24 hours after infusion or at an eight-day follow-up. The small pilot study randomized six participants to ketamine and four to placebo, finding only transient side effects. The results suggest that, in this limited sample, ketamine did not reduce tobacco use, though further research with different doses and routes of administration is needed to explore its potential for treating tobacco use disorder.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Individuals with tobacco use disorder recruited from the local community |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Dose | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Duration | 20-minute infusion, with assessments during and within an hour after infusion, 24 hours post-infusion, and an eight-day follow-up |
| Topics | Ketamine |
| Keywords | Ndma receptor antagonist Glutamate Tobacco Addiction treatment Psychopharmacology |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) produced no significant effects on cigarette smoking, craving, or withdrawal symptoms compared to placebo at 24 hours or eight days post-infusion. |
Abstract
There is increasing evidence of ketamine's therapeutic potential in reducing substance use in individuals with substance use disorders. However, its effects on tobacco use disorder are unknown. We investigated the effect of a subanesthetic dose of ketamine on tobacco use. This randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study administered intravenous ketamine to individuals with tobacco use disorder recruited from the local community. Participants were randomized to receive either ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) (n = 6) or saline placebo (n = 4) over 20 min. Primary outcomes included measures of drug safety and tolerability during and within an hour after the infusion. Secondary outcomes included measures of tobacco use, craving, and withdrawal before, and 24-hours after, the drug infusion study day. A follow-up visit occurred eight days after the infusion. Intravenous ketamine was well tolerated with transient side effects. No significant effects were noted on cigarette smoking, craving, or withdrawal symptoms on the post-infusion visit following overnight abstinence or on the follow-up visit (p's > 0.05). Although limited by the small sample size, this pilot study extends previous research on ketamine for substance use disorders. While ketamine was well tolerated in this sample, additional research testing different ketamine doses and administration routes is necessary to determine whether ketamine has therapeutic potential for tobacco use disorder.