Ketamine-assisted buprenorphine initiation: a pilot case series.
Humans
Ketamine
/ administration & dosage
Buprenorphine
/ administration & dosage
Male
Adult
Pilot Projects
Female
Opioid-Related Disorders
/ drug therapy
Substance Withdrawal Syndrome
/ drug therapy
Anesthetics, Dissociative
/ administration & dosage
Opiate Substitution Treatment
/ methods
Middle Aged
Fentanyl
/ administration & dosage
Administration, Sublingual
Methadone
/ administration & dosage
Buprenorphine initiation
Fentanyl
Ketamine
Methadone
Precipitated withdrawal
Journal
Addiction science & clinical practice
ISSN: 1940-0640
Titre abrégé: Addict Sci Clin Pract
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101316917
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
29 Aug 2024
29 Aug 2024
Historique:
received:
18
03
2024
accepted:
19
08
2024
medline:
31
8
2024
pubmed:
31
8
2024
entrez:
29
8
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Many people with opioid use disorder who stand to benefit from buprenorphine treatment are unwilling to initiate it due to experience with or fear of both spontaneous and buprenorphine-precipitated opioid withdrawal (BPOW). An effective means of minimizing withdrawal symptoms would reduce patient apprehensiveness, lowering the barrier to buprenorphine initiation. Ketamine, approved by the FDA as a dissociative anesthetic, completely resolved BPOW in case reports when infused at a sub-anesthetic dose range in which dissociative symptoms are common. However, most patients attempt buprenorphine initiation in the outpatient setting where altered mental status is undesirable. We explored the potential of short-term use of ketamine, self-administered sublingually at a lower, sub-dissociative dose to assist ambulatory patients undergoing transition to buprenorphine from fentanyl and methadone. Patients prescribed ketamine were either (1) seeking transition to buprenorphine from illicit fentanyl and highly apprehensive of BPOW or (2) undergoing transition to buprenorphine from illicit fentanyl or methadone and experiencing BPOW. We prescribed 4-8 doses of sublingual ketamine 16 mg (each dose bioequivalent to 3-6% of an anesthetic dose), monitored patients daily or near-daily, and adjusted buprenorphine and ketamine dosing based on patient response and prescriber experience. Over a period of 14 months, 37 patients were prescribed ketamine. Buprenorphine initiation was completed by 16 patients, representing 43% of the 37 patients prescribed ketamine, and 67% of the 24 who reported trying it. Of the last 12 patients who completed buprenorphine initiation, 11 (92%) achieved 30-day retention in treatment. Most of the patients who tried ketamine reported reduction or elimination of spontaneous opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some patients reported avoidance of severe BPOW when used prophylactically or as treatment of established BPOW. We developed a ketamine protocol that allowed four of the last patients to complete buprenorphine initiation over four days reporting only mild withdrawal symptoms. Two patients described cognitive changes from ketamine at a dose that exceeded the effective dose range for the other patients. Ketamine at a sub-dissociative dose allowed completion of buprenorphine initiation in the outpatient setting in the majority of patients who reported trying it. Further research is warranted to confirm these results and develop reliable protocols for a range of treatment settings.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Many people with opioid use disorder who stand to benefit from buprenorphine treatment are unwilling to initiate it due to experience with or fear of both spontaneous and buprenorphine-precipitated opioid withdrawal (BPOW). An effective means of minimizing withdrawal symptoms would reduce patient apprehensiveness, lowering the barrier to buprenorphine initiation. Ketamine, approved by the FDA as a dissociative anesthetic, completely resolved BPOW in case reports when infused at a sub-anesthetic dose range in which dissociative symptoms are common. However, most patients attempt buprenorphine initiation in the outpatient setting where altered mental status is undesirable. We explored the potential of short-term use of ketamine, self-administered sublingually at a lower, sub-dissociative dose to assist ambulatory patients undergoing transition to buprenorphine from fentanyl and methadone.
METHODS
METHODS
Patients prescribed ketamine were either (1) seeking transition to buprenorphine from illicit fentanyl and highly apprehensive of BPOW or (2) undergoing transition to buprenorphine from illicit fentanyl or methadone and experiencing BPOW. We prescribed 4-8 doses of sublingual ketamine 16 mg (each dose bioequivalent to 3-6% of an anesthetic dose), monitored patients daily or near-daily, and adjusted buprenorphine and ketamine dosing based on patient response and prescriber experience.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Over a period of 14 months, 37 patients were prescribed ketamine. Buprenorphine initiation was completed by 16 patients, representing 43% of the 37 patients prescribed ketamine, and 67% of the 24 who reported trying it. Of the last 12 patients who completed buprenorphine initiation, 11 (92%) achieved 30-day retention in treatment. Most of the patients who tried ketamine reported reduction or elimination of spontaneous opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some patients reported avoidance of severe BPOW when used prophylactically or as treatment of established BPOW. We developed a ketamine protocol that allowed four of the last patients to complete buprenorphine initiation over four days reporting only mild withdrawal symptoms. Two patients described cognitive changes from ketamine at a dose that exceeded the effective dose range for the other patients.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Ketamine at a sub-dissociative dose allowed completion of buprenorphine initiation in the outpatient setting in the majority of patients who reported trying it. Further research is warranted to confirm these results and develop reliable protocols for a range of treatment settings.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39210398
doi: 10.1186/s13722-024-00494-2
pii: 10.1186/s13722-024-00494-2
doi:
Substances chimiques
Ketamine
690G0D6V8H
Buprenorphine
40D3SCR4GZ
Anesthetics, Dissociative
0
Fentanyl
UF599785JZ
Methadone
UC6VBE7V1Z
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
60Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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