ReviewBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2014
Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits.
Review in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 196 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Safe Ketamine-Based Therapy for Treatment Resistant Depression
IN Dexmedetomidine for Procedural Sedation in Pediatric Closed Reductions for Distal Forearm Fractures. Timmons Z MD, Feudale B MD Children Presenting to the ED With Distal Forearm Extremity Fractures Often Require Re-alignment Under Conscious Sedation. The Objective of This Study is to Evaluate the Sedative, and Analgesic Effects of Intranasal (IN) Dexmedetomidine (DEX) Who Undergo Conscious Sedation for Reduction of Closed Distal Forearm Fractures When Compared to Those Receiving the Standard of Care Intravenous (IV) Ketamine
Ambulatory Infusions of Lidocaine and Ketamine for Management of Chronic Pain: an Observational Prospective Study
Evaluation and Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ketamine and Lidocaine Infusion in Peripheral Neuropathic Pain: A Retrospective Study
Evaluation of a Standardized Low-Dose Bolus Ketamine Pathway for Management of Pediatric Sickle Cell Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Pain
Who cites it
196 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 486 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pharmacological Influences on the R2 Blink Reflex Response in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Practice advisory for intravenous management of headache disorders in hospitalized patients: a review of the evidence and consensus recommendations.Regional anesthesia and pain medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Is the antidepressant efficacy of ketamine and esketamine mediated via opioid mechanisms?European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026Pooled it
- Estimated preventive dose of racemic ketamine for shivering and pruritus prophylaxis in cesarean delivery: a Monte Carlo simulation guided network meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Molecular pathways of ketamine: A systematic review of immediate and sustained effects on PTSD.Psychopharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Ketamine in fibromyalgia: a systematic review.Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Investigational Drugs for the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Analysis of the efficacy of subclinical doses of esketamine in combination with propofol in non-intubated general anesthesia procedures - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Pooled it
- Infusion Therapy in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.Current pain and headache reports · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of prophylactic use of ketamine for prevention of postanesthetic shivering: a systematic review and meta analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2019Pooled it
- Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Acute Pain Management From the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.Regional anesthesia and pain medicine · 2018Guideline
- Effect of S-ketamine on postoperative pain sensitivity in children with preoperative chemotherapy.Pediatric research · 2026Trial
- Safety and efficacy of low-dose esketamine weakly opioidized anesthesia in elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis undergoing surgery: a prospective, double-blind randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Trial
- Ketamine reduces the neural distinction between self- and other-produced affective touch: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Effects of intra-operative administration of subanesthetic s-ketamine on emergence from sevoflurane anesthesia: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Efficacy and Tolerability of Oral Compared with Sublingual Ketamine Lozenges as Rescue Analgesics in Adults for Acute Pain: The OSKet Trial.Clinical drug investigation · 2021Trial
- Dextromethorphan and memantine after ketamine analgesia: a randomized control trial.Drug design, development and therapy · 2019Trial
- Attenuation of Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine by Opioid Receptor Antagonism.The American journal of psychiatry · 2018Trial
136 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The anaesthetic ketamine is used to treat various chronic pain syndromes, especially those that have a neuropathic component. Low dose ketamine produces strong analgesia in neuropathic pain states, presumably by inhibition of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor although other mechanisms are possibly involved, including enhancement of descending inhibition and anti-inflammatory effects at central sites. Current data on short term infusions indicate that ketamine produces potent analgesia during administration only, while three studies on the effect of prolonged infusion (4-14 days) show long-term analgesic effects up to 3 months following infusion. The side effects of ketamine noted in clinical studies include psychedelic symptoms (hallucinations, memory defects, panic attacks), nausea/vomiting, somnolence, cardiovascular stimulation and, in a minority of patients, hepatoxicity. The recreational use of ketamine is increasing and comes with a variety of additional risks ranging from bladder and renal complications to persistent psychotypical behaviour and memory defects. Blind extrapolation of these risks to clinical patients is difficult because of the variable, high and recurrent exposure to the drug in ketamine abusers and the high frequency of abuse of other illicit substances in this population. In clinical settings, ketamine is well tolerated, especially when benzodiazepines are used to tame the psychotropic side effects. Irrespective, close monitoring of patients receiving ketamine is mandatory, particularly aimed at CNS, haemodynamic, renal and hepatic symptoms as well as abuse. Further research is required to assess whether the benefits outweigh the risks and costs. Until definite proof is obtained ketamine administration should be restricted to patients with therapy-resistant severe neuropathic pain.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.