Can a single ketamine dose ease both pain and depression?
NCT ID NCT06317636
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a single dose of ketamine, given while patients are sedated, can reduce chronic pain and depression symptoms. Forty adults with both conditions will receive either ketamine or a placebo (saline) during sedation with propofol. Researchers will track pain and depression levels over several weeks to see if ketamine works better than placebo in this setting.
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 an intravenous infusion during sedation)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that ketamine helps manage both chronic pain and depression when given under sedation, offering a new treatment option.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply widely. The study is testing if placebo works as well as ketamine, so ketamine may not prove effective.
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
-
Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
-
About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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 70 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.
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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 to 70 years old * Comfortable speaking and writing in English * Chronic pain present daily for at least 3 months * Currently experiencing depression * Able to comply with the study protocol and communicate with study personnel about adverse events and other clinically important information Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding * One or more health conditions that makes study unsafe or unfeasible, determined by study physicians * Regular use of medications that may have problematic interactions with the study drugs * Participating in another clinical trial which may conflict with this one
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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
-
Stanford University
Stanford, California, 94305, United States
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