Scientists have sought to develop a viable drug treatment for the debilitating illness of cocaine usage while its use continues to rise in the United States.
By examining tens of millions of electronic health records, specialists assessed the potential clinical efficacy of ketamine in enhancing remission rates among patients with cocaine-use disorders (CUD). Patients with cocaine use disorder who received ketamine for pain or depression had two to four times higher remission rates, according to the researchers.
The findings were publicized in the journal Addiction.
“7,742 CUD patients who received anesthesia (3,871 ketamine-exposed and 3,871 anesthetic-controlled) and 7,910 CUD patients with depression (3,955 ketamine-exposed and 3,955 antidepressant-controlled) were identified after propensity score-matching,” the journal report reads.
“Patients with CUD prescribed ketamine for anesthesia displayed a significantly higher rate of CUD remission compared with matched individuals prescribed other anesthetics.”
“Ketamine appears to be a potential repurposed drug for treatment of cocaine use disorder.”
