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Researchers at San Diego Hospice Explore Benefits of Ketamine in Clinical Trials

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:28:11 EST

(San Diego, CA) -- Interest and news surrounding ketamine is growing, due to its ability to relieve severe depression more quickly than most traditional medications out in the market.  Researchers at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine have been conducting clinical trials using ketamine for this purpose for several years.
 
San Diego psychiatrist Scott Irwin, MD, PhD, is Chief of Psychiatry at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine and oversees the only full-time palliative care psychiatry program at any hospice in the nation, working exclusively with San Diego Hospice patients. This program combines clinical innovation, applied research, and education to improve mental health and palliative care for a seriously ill population. Research into the use of ketamine is especially critical for these patients due to its fast-acting outcomes.
 
'We know that ketamine has been used as an anesthetic during surgical procedures for decades and has solid evidence for use in cancer pain,' said Dr. Irwin. 'When evidence surfaced about five years ago for ketamine's effectiveness in depression, the research team at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine began investigating the benefits of ketamine for helping our patients affected by severe depression.'
 
Dr. Irwin noted that ketamine has been used at San Diego Hospice on a clinical basis in over 30 patients in the last few years, with similar positive results to what he and San Diego Hospice researchers are finding in their research trials, and as reported in published literature. Because of his research and clinical experience prescribing ketamine. Dr. Irwin has been contacted by, and is forming collaborations with, Dr. Gerard Sanacora from Yale University to further this promising line of research.  Dr. Irwin is also currently funded by the National Institute of Health to study other rapidly acting treatments for depression.