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Taking opportunities is the first step towards
Ketamine assists with behavioral therapy when treating alcohol dependence, study finds
By: Julia Rietman
April 27, 2020
One dose of the tranquilizer, ketamine, when used in combination with behavioral therapy, reduces alcohol dependence, according to a study published yesterday in the American Journal of Psychiatry. This method to treat alcohol abuse seems to indicate that current medical treatments may be outdated.
Approximately four percent of deaths worldwide are caused by alcohol disease and the current study sought to test a new treatment method.
Ketamine improved the chance of abstinence, led to longer time before relapse, and decreased the chance of heavy drinking, the study found. The behavioral therapy, (a previously used approach), included incentivizing tactics and encouraged self-oriented change. This cognitive approach was given to all participants.
Conversely, not all participants were given ketamine; the study included two groups—a ketamine group and a control group. They were blind to the drug they received.
Participants were only included in the study if they met the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) diagnosis. They were also only selected if they drank heavily on multiple days in the week prior to the study.
Three weeks after drug treatment, more participants in the control group had alcohol than those in the ketamine group by almost 15%. Twice as many people in the control group had a heavy drinking day as compared to those in the ketamine group. Overall, control group participants’ ability to stay clear of alcohol decreased significantly over the time span of these three weeks, while those in the ketamine condition stayed steady.
In a six month follow up interview, 75% of participants in the ketamine group self-reported abstinence compared to 27% in the control group. Ketamine can affect connectivity in the brain, neurotransmitter signals and receptors thus affecting one’s behavior. Therefore, the researchers surmised that the ketamine helped by impacting a person’s long-term choices.
Only two participants in the ketamine condition had side effects, which involved minor agitation, that lasted briefly after the dose was given. The researchers also tested the participants to ensure that one dose of ketamine did not lead to a participant consuming the drug later. They did want to treat one addiction only to cause another.
The researchers chose a dose of ketamine that had been used in the past, which was the highest amount participants could endure in previous studies. They also took urine samples to check for alcohol in the participants’ systems.
A mixed methods approach—behavioral therapy plus drug therapy, specifically ketamine—led to significant results in relieving an alcoholic.
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