ALCOHOLIC'S TO BE GIVEN KETAMINE IN TRIAL TO REDUCE HEAVY DRINKING

It has been announced that the University of Exeter- will lead a £2.4m 3-phase trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and will be delivered across seven NHS sites in the UK.

Controversially ketamine is a licensed medical drug, universally for both pain relief and as an anaesthetic. However it is highly addictive and is also used as a recreational drug classified as a Class B banned substance by the Home Office.

The trial is to see alcoholics given ketamine along side therapy to see if it assist them stay off alcohol for longer. The trial stems from an earlier study which reported that participants who had ketamine combined with therapy stayed completely sober, representing 86% abstinence in the six-month follow-up.

The trial will enlist 280 alcoholics to take part in the summer to for the three part trial. Out of the 280 enlisted 140 will be given ketamine at the dose used in the first clinical trial with psychological therapy. The remaining 140 will be given a much lower dose of ketamine alongside seven-session education package about the harmful effects of alcohol.


It is estimated that over two million adults in the UK have serious alcohol problems, yet only one in five get treatment, with three out of four people who quit alcohol will be back drinking heavily after a year.

The trial is being lead by Professor Celia Morgan, from the University of Exeter, who has said that if the trial establishes that ketamine-assisted therapy works, the team hopes to see it used in NHS settings. She has stated that 'Alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost the NHS around £3.5bn each year, and wider UK society around £40bn,'

Source: Skynews