Ketamine for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Feasibility and patient experience

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental disorder that can develop following exposure to trauma, significantly impacting psychosocial and vocational functioning and often proving chronic. In the Otago region alone, approximately 15 thousand individuals are expected to experience PTSD in their lifetime. Current treatments for PTSD are only partially effective, with as many as 60% of patients not fully recovering following standard psychotherapeutic interventions. Recent research into pharmaceutical treatments has shown that Ketamine (K) can rapidly alleviate PTSD symptoms, though its common administration methods—intravenous or intramuscular injections—are associated with unpleasant side effects. Oral K is now being investigated as an alternative to intravenous or intramuscular routes of administration due to its lower side effect profile, ease of administration, and cost-effectiveness. Despite promising preliminary findings suggesting that oral K is of therapeutic benefit for PTSD symptoms, more research is necessary to confirm these effects and determine the amount and duration of symptom relief. The current feasibility study aims to assess participant recruitment and an oral K dosing regimen for PTSD, as well as exploring the subjective experiences of participants that can be used in designing future trials. The study will incorporate Maori tikanga principles and seek feedback on the inclusivity of the protocol. Participants with moderate to severe PTSD from the Otago region will be recruited. The expected outcomes include developing improved or new pharmaceutical treatment regimen for better health outcomes in PTSD and informing a larger study in Otago and Canterbury that will evaluate the combination of oral K with psychotherapy for sustained PTSD remission. These benefits are likely to be accomplished within the next 1- 2-year time frame.