Ketamine for pain: big study launches to see if it really works
NCT ID NCT07648771
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study follows 800 people who are already scheduled to receive ketamine infusions for chronic pain as part of their regular care. Researchers will use surveys to track pain levels, opioid use, and overall well-being for up to 16 weeks. A comparison group includes patients who were recommended ketamine but denied insurance coverage. The goal is to understand how well ketamine works in the real world and how insurance denials impact patients.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ketamine (intravenous infusion)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could provide real-world evidence on how well ketamine works for chronic pain and how insurance denials affect patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational registry, not a controlled trial. Results may be influenced by patient selection and lack of blinding. It cannot prove cause and effect.
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.
- Participants
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About 800 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2034
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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.
Who is studied
Adults who have had a treating physician order ketamine infusion therapy for the treatment of chronic pain
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Planning to receive an intravenous ketamine infusion for the treatment of chronic pain Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to read or understand English questionnaires
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Get notified about this study
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Stanford Health Care
Stanford, California, 94305, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Ketamine infusion tested against unrelenting cancer pain
- Can difficulty naming emotions shape how much tailbone pain you feel?
- Can talk therapy rewire the brain to ease burn Survivors' pain?
- Can a video game teach cancer patients to tame their pain?
- Could a wearable zapper quiet cirrhosis pain without drugs?
- Can ketamine boost mindfulness therapy for people facing pain and PTSD?