Ketamine and psychological therapy helped severe alcoholics abstain for longer in trial

Summary: People with severe alcohol disorder were able to stay off alcohol for longer. When they were treated with low doses of ketamine combined with psychological therapy in a clinical trial.

Source: The American Journal of Psychology.

A recent clinical trial proves to be helpful for people with severe alcohol disorder. Asthey were able to stay in abstinence for longer when the trial was combined with psychological therapy. It is Ketamine for reduction of Alcohol Relapse (KARE) trial. The University of Exeter carried it out.

The phase II trial is the very first to find out whether a low dose of ketamine combined with therapy could be helpful to prevent people from quickly returning back to heavy drinking after they have stopped.

The trial followed initial evidence that controlled ketamine therapy can be helpful in reduction in the number of alcoholics who relapse. Currently there are not many effective treatments for severe alcoholism, which has a disastrous impact on lives. The KARE trial also compared the effectiveness of ketamine with and without therapy in any mental health context.

The researchers observed 96 subjects with severe alcohol problems who were abstinent during the time of the trial. The research team noticed that subjects who had ketamine trial combined with therapy were able to stay completely sober for 162 of 180 days in the six month follow-up period, which shows 87 percent abstinence. This was remarkably higher than any of the other groups, indicating that the therapy may also have significance for preventing the relapse. This group was probably more than 2.5 times likely to stay completely abstinent at the end of the trial than those only on placebo.

Currently there are not many effective treatments for severe alcoholism, which has a disastrous impact on lives. The KARE trial also compared the effectiveness of ketamine with and without therapy in any mental health context.