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Ketamine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder and Depression

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Ketamine for the Treatment of Concurrent Opioid Use Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04177706
Enrollment
21
Registered
2019-11-26
Start date
2020-12-17
Completion date
2022-11-21
Last updated
2024-08-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depression, Opioid Abuse, Opioid-use Disorder

Keywords

Ketamine

Brief summary

The purpose of the study is to examine whether an investigational medication called ketamine is able to improve treatment outcomes for concurrent opioid addiction and depression when used in conjunction with buprenorphine treatment. Study medications will be delivered twice per week for four weeks. If you are eligible and you decide to enroll in the study, your participation will last approximately 8 weeks, or 2 months.

Interventions

DRUGKetamine Hydrochloride

Participants receiving the active study medication will receive 60 mg ketamine twice per week for four weeks under clinical supervision.

DRUGPlacebo

Participants receiving the placebo study medication will receive saline twice per week for four weeks under clinical supervision.

Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH
Medical University of South Carolina
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Between the ages of 18 to 65 years old. 2. Able to provide informed consent. 3. Meet DSM-5 criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, without psychotic features. 4. Score at least 20 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. 5. Fulfill a minimum of 4 of 11 current opioid use disorder criteria by DSM-5. 6. Have used opioids illicitly at least once in the past month. 7. Subjects must be on standard of care pharmacotherapy for OUD (buprenorphine) for at least one month. 8. Subjects taking other psychotropic medications (e.g. anti-depressants or non benzodiazepine anxiolytics) must be maintained on a stable dose for at least four weeks before study initiation. 9. Subjects must be considered to have treatment-refractory MDD as evidenced by failure or only partial response to treatment with at least two standard of care pharmacotherapy antidepressants. 10. Must consent to random assignment to intranasal ketamine or placebo control.

Exclusion criteria

They are considered an immediate suicide risk (by Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale of 4 or greater, a history of a suicide attempt in the past year, or by clinician judgment) or felt to be likely to require hospitalization during the course of the study. 2\. They have a self-reported history of illicit ketamine use, or baseline urine drug testing positive for ketamine. 3\. They are in acute opioid withdrawal (as evidenced by a score of 5 or above on the Clinician Opioid Withdrawal Scale). These subjects will be referred for clinical detoxification and pharmacotherapy induction. Subjects may be re-assessed for study eligibility after one month of treatment with a standard of care OUD pharmacotherapy. 4\. Subjects who meet DSM-5 criteria for current bipolar disorder. 5. Subjects who meet DSM-5 criteria for current or history of psychotic spectrum disorders. 6\. Women who are pregnant or nursing. 7. Subjects with current hypertension as defined by a systolic blood pressure (SBP) \>140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \>90 mmHg. 8\. Subjects with a self-reported history of delirium for any cause. 9. A history of allergic or other adverse reaction to ketamine. 10. Clinically significant abnormal laboratory values, physical exam findings or self-reported medical conditions for which a transient increase in blood pressure could be significantly detrimental (e.g. glaucoma, brain aneurysms, cardiovascular disease, or end-stage renal disease). 11\. Electrocardiogram (ECG) findings (obtained within thirty days prior to randomization) of tachycardia, prior myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, or aberrant conduction).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Individuals Completing Informed ConsentActual time frame of: 23 months.Primary outcomes will be 1) the percentage of individuals completing informed consent out of the number of individuals eligible on the initial screening.
Percentage of Individuals Completing the Full ProtocolActual time frame 23 months.The other primary outcome will be the percentage of individuals that complete informed consent which complete the full interventional protocol.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Depression SeverityBaseline through 4-week interventional visits (8th interventional visit).Secondary outcomes will include changes in depression severity (as measured on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), which will be calculated as a change from baseline to 4 weeks (8th interventional visit). Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS; Montgomery, 1979). The MADRS is a clinician administered, 10-item questionnaire of depression severity. The total score ranges from 0-60, with scores of 0-6 considered normal (non-depressed), 7-19 indicative of mild depression, 20-34 indicative of moderate depression, and 35-60 indicative of severe depression. Individuals scoring 20 or higher on the MADRS will be included in the study. The MADRS evaluates the following symptoms of depression: 1) clinical appearance of sadness, 2) self-reported sadness, 3) inner tension, 4) reduced sleep, 5) reduced appetite, 6) concentration difficulties, 7) lassitude, 8) inability to feel, 9) pessimistic thought process, and 10) thoughts of suicide.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Group A (Ketamine)
Ketamine Hydrochloride: Participants receiving the active study medication will receive 60 mg ketamine twice per week for four weeks under clinical supervision.
11
Group B (Placebo)
Placebo: Participants receiving the placebo study medication will receive saline twice per week for four weeks under clinical supervision.
10
Total21

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicGroup B (Placebo)TotalGroup A (Ketamine)
Age, Continuous37 years36 years35 years
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
10 Participants19 Participants9 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
1 Participants3 Participants2 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
9 Participants18 Participants9 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 110 / 10
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 110 / 10
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 110 / 10

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Individuals Completing Informed Consent

Primary outcomes will be 1) the percentage of individuals completing informed consent out of the number of individuals eligible on the initial screening.

Time frame: Actual time frame of: 23 months.

Population: Outcomes will be cumulatively assessed from the time that the first participant is screened through the time that the last participant completes informed consent. There is only a single cohort (single arm/group) until randomization, which happens at the first interventional visit. Actual time frame of: 23 months.

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Percentage of Individuals Completing Informed ConsentPercentage of Individuals Completing Informed Consent34 Participants
Primary

Percentage of Individuals Completing the Full Protocol

The other primary outcome will be the percentage of individuals that complete informed consent which complete the full interventional protocol.

Time frame: Actual time frame 23 months.

Population: There is only a single cohort (single arm/group) until randomization, which happens at the first interventional visit.

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Percentage of Individuals Completing Informed ConsentPercentage of Individuals Completing the Full Protocol11 Participants
Secondary

Change in Depression Severity

Secondary outcomes will include changes in depression severity (as measured on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), which will be calculated as a change from baseline to 4 weeks (8th interventional visit). Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS; Montgomery, 1979). The MADRS is a clinician administered, 10-item questionnaire of depression severity. The total score ranges from 0-60, with scores of 0-6 considered normal (non-depressed), 7-19 indicative of mild depression, 20-34 indicative of moderate depression, and 35-60 indicative of severe depression. Individuals scoring 20 or higher on the MADRS will be included in the study. The MADRS evaluates the following symptoms of depression: 1) clinical appearance of sadness, 2) self-reported sadness, 3) inner tension, 4) reduced sleep, 5) reduced appetite, 6) concentration difficulties, 7) lassitude, 8) inability to feel, 9) pessimistic thought process, and 10) thoughts of suicide.

Time frame: Baseline through 4-week interventional visits (8th interventional visit).

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Percentage of Individuals Completing Informed ConsentChange in Depression Severity30 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.8
Group B (Placebo)Change in Depression Severity10.8 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 14.1

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026