Could ketamine therapy help people quit meth?
NCT ID NCT06538285
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot study tests whether combining ketamine injections with talk therapy is a safe and acceptable way to treat moderate-to-severe methamphetamine use disorder in 17 publicly insured patients, some of whom have or are at risk for HIV. Participants receive three monitored ketamine doses plus several therapy sessions, and report their meth use over three months. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and tolerable, not yet to prove it works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ketamine (given as a shot) combined with talk therapy
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could point toward a new treatment option for people with methamphetamine use disorder, especially those also at risk for HIV.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 17 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Ketamine can cause side effects like high blood pressure or dissociation, and the therapy is intensive.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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17 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 69 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-69 * Moderate or severe methamphetamine use disorder * Interest in reducing or stopping methamphetamine use * Insured by MediCal, MediCare, or Healthy San Francisco * Used methamphetamine ≥7 out of the 30 days prior to screening OR enrolled in a residential drug treatment program * Have a diagnosis of HIV OR taken PrEP over the last 90 days OR engaged in ≥1 risk behavior for HIV acquisition/transmission over the last 90 days (i.e., anal sex under the influence of methamphetamine, condomless sex with a partner of serodiscordant or unknown HIV status, or any shared use of injection drug supplies) * English speaking * Permanently housed for ≥30 days OR enrolled in residential drug treatment for ≥5 days * Have a text-capable cell phone or access to email (if not enrolled in residential treatment) * Able and willing to provide informed consent and adhere to visit schedule * If necessary, willing to be contacted on a daily basis by one of the therapists for 7 days after each ketamine session * Prior to scheduled ketamine sessions, agree: (a) abstain from using methamphetamine and cocaine for ≥48 hours, (b) abstain from using non-prescribed opioids, cannabis products, benzodiazepines, or alcohol for ≥24 hours, (c) consume no more than a modest quantity (e.g., 1 cup) of caffeine (e.g., coffee or tea) in the morning; (d) continue usual regimen of routinely prescribed opioid-based medications throughout trial; and (e) continue any routine behavioral or pharmacologic mental health interventions as usual outside of the trial * Female-born participants of child-bearing potential with male-born partners and male-born participants with female-born partners of child-bearing potential must agree to use highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to and 2 months after ketamine administration Exclusion Criteria: * Significant prior use of ketamine for non-anesthetic purposes, as determined by the investigators * Cognitive impairment sufficient to impede the ability to complete study tasks * Lifetime history of intracranial hemorrhage * Has an intracranial mass * Had a stroke in the past 12 months * Had a seizure in the past 6 months * Has current psychosis or any lifetime history of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder * Engaged in a contingency management program during study * Taking any prohibited medications * If receiving any medication that may cause blunting of responses or diminished affect, such as antipsychotics, exclusion will be as per the evaluation of the PI and study staff * Active suicidal ideation with intent * Baseline hypertension (≥150 SBP or ≥90 DBP) after repeated measurements * History of aneurysmal vascular disease, dissection or arteriovenous malformation * Had a cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction in the past 12 months * QTc \>450 msec on 12-lead EKG (Bazett's formula) * Has a clinically significant arrhythmia * Meets any of the following laboratory parameters: ALT ≥3x ULN, AST ≥3x ULN, total bilirubin ≥1.5x ULN, eGFR \<30mL/min by CKD-EPI or currently on dialysis * Pregnant, breastfeeding, or unwilling to use birth control during the study * Pending legal proceedings with a high risk for incarceration during the study * Taken another investigational drug in the past 30 days * Has any physical or mental health condition which, per the clinical judgment of the investigators, interferes with safe study participation or adherence to study procedures
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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San Francisco Department of Public Health
San Francicso, California, 94102, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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