Could ketamine help veterans overcome PTSD faster?

NCT ID NCT04560660

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 25, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether repeated doses of ketamine, an FDA-approved anesthetic, could speed up the effects of talk therapy (Prolonged Exposure) for PTSD in 75 veterans. Participants received either ketamine or a placebo alongside therapy. The goal was to see if ketamine could reduce PTSD symptoms more quickly than therapy alone.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55417-2309, United States

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Ketamine

What this could lead to

If it works, this could point toward a faster way to reduce PTSD symptoms in veterans, making therapy more effective in less time.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-phase trial with only 75 participants. Results may not apply to all PTSD patients, and ketamine can cause side effects like dissociation.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.