Alcoholics given ketamine to stop drinking

• Alcoholics will receive ketamine-assisted therapy.
• NIHR-funded trial will be conducted at seven NHS sites in the UK.
• It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care .

In a £2.4 million phase three experiment, alcoholics will receive ketamine-assisted therapy to discover if it helps them stay sober.

The University of Exeter-led, NIHR-funded trial will be conducted at seven NHS sites in the UK.

NIHR is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK.

A phase two experiment demonstrated ketamine and counseling were safe for heavy drinkers.

The earlier trial indicated that ketamine paired with counseling led to 86% abstinence six months later.

If successful, the Ketamine for Reduction of Alcohol Relapse (KARE) experiment will be rolled out on the NHS.

Ketamine is an approved anesthetic and painkiller. It’s a Class B prohibited substance and a recreational drug.

The trial will randomly divide 280 alcoholics into two groups.

Half will get ketamine at the level used in the first psychological therapy clinical study.

Half will get a low dose of ketamine and a seven-session alcohol education program. Researchers will examine if ketamine and therapy reduces drinking.

Only one in five UK adults with alcohol issues obtain treatment.

Three out of four alcoholics who quit will relapse after a year. Professor Celia Morgan, trial lead from the University of Exeter, claimed alcohol-related harm costs the NHS £3.5 billion a year and wider UK society £40 billion.

Since the epidemic, alcohol-related mortality have soared.

Morgan said ketamine therapy might be employed in NHS settings if this trial is successful.

Midway through 2023, recruits will come from London, Oxford, Manchester, etc.

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