Single versus repeated sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for people with heroin dependence
This open-label longitudinal study (n=59) investigated the efficacy of a single versus three sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (140mg/70kg/session) for people with heroin dependence and found that the three-session program is more than twice as effective (abstinence 50% vs. 22.2%) one year after treatment.
Authors
- Krupitsky, E. M.
- Burakov, A. M.
- Dunaevsky, I. V.
Published
Abstract
Introduction
A prior study found that one ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session was significantly more effective than active placebo in promoting abstinence (Krupitsky et al. 2002).
Methods
In this study of the efficacy of single versus repeated sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in promoting abstinence in people with heroin dependence, 59 detoxified in patients with heroin dependence received a ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KPT) session prior to their discharge from an addiction treatment hospital, and were then randomized into two treatment groups. Participants in the first group received two addiction counseling sessions followed by two KPT sessions, with sessions scheduled on a monthly interval (multiple KPT group). Participants in the second group received two addiction counseling sessions on a monthly interval, but no additional ketamine therapy sessions (single KPT group).
Results
At one-year follow-up, survival analysis demonstrated a significantly higher rate of abstinence in the multiple KPT group. Thirteen out of 26 subjects (50%) in the multiple KPT group remained abstinent. compared to 6 out of 27 subjects (22.2%) in the single KPT group (p < 0.05). No differences between groups were found in depression, anxiety, craving for heroin, or their understanding of the meaning of their lives.
Discussion
It was concluded that three sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy are more effective than a single session for the treatment of heroin addiction.
Research Summary of 'Single versus repeated sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for people with heroin dependence'
Introduction
Earlier research on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy suggested that a single high-dose session can produce pronounced short-term therapeutic effects that often attenuate after a few weeks, a phenomenon described as the ‘‘psychedelic afterglow’’. Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist used at sub‑anaesthetic doses, produces intense, sometimes transformative experiences that share features with near‑death phenomena and have been reported to prompt insights, shifts in life meaning and motivation that may support abstinence from substances. Prior single‑session ketamine‑psychotherapy (KPT) studies in people with alcohol and heroin dependence indicated clinical benefit, but did not address whether repeating sessions could extend or stabilise those benefits. Krupitsky and colleagues set out to compare the efficacy of a single KPT session versus a multiple‑session KPT regime (three sessions total, spaced one month apart) for promoting abstinence in people with heroin dependence. The study aimed to test whether administering additional monthly KPT sessions, with preparatory and integration counselling, would increase one‑year abstinence rates relative to a single inpatient KPT session followed by counselling only.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Krupitsky, E. M., Burakov, A. M., Dunaevsky, I. V., Romanova, T. N., Slavina, T. Y., & Grinenko, A. Y. (2007). Single versus repeated sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for people with heroin dependence. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 39(1), 13-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2007.10399860
References (1)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Krupitsky, E. M., Burakov, A. M., Romanova, T. N. et al. · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2002)
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