Can ketamine help new moms after C-Section? early study suspended
NCT ID NCT06767566
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 30, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This Phase 1 study aims to understand how the body processes ketamine after a cesarean delivery, and whether it can help with postpartum depression and pain. Fifty participants will receive a low-dose ketamine infusion, and researchers will measure drug levels and side effects. The study is currently suspended, and its main goal is to gather information, not to prove a cure.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ketamine (Ketalar)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help doctors understand how to use ketamine more effectively for postpartum depression and pain after cesarean delivery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 study with only 50 participants. It is currently suspended, and its main goal is to measure drug levels, not to prove treatment effectiveness. Side effects from ketamine are possible.
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 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
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.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Peripartum Participants: Inclusion Criteria * Cesarean delivery * Adults 18 years and older * Term delivery ≥ 37 weeks gestation anticipated at time of delivery * ASA PS 2 or 3 * Able to provide informed consent * One of the following must be met for inclusion: Not planning to breastfeed OR ketamine use indicated for pain management plan. Exclusion Criteria * Patient going under general anesthesia for cesarean delivery * Allergy to study medication (ketamine) * ASA PS 4 + * Contraindications to neuraxial anesthesia * Preterm delivery (\<37 weeks gestation) * Anticipated fetal-neonatal complex care plan as indicated in the patient's chart * Patient history of ketamine or PCP abuse * Patient history of schizophrenia or psychosis * Patient history of liver or renal insufficiency * Patient history of uncontrolled hypertension, chest pain, arrhythmia, head trauma, or intracranial hypertension, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, or other contraindications to ketamine * Participating in another pain or depression intervention trial * Undergoing hormonal or gender affirming therapies * Pre-eclampsia with severe features * Hemodynamic instability * Inability to participate in study procedures for any reason * Contraindicated medications use: oral antihypertensive medications (exclusion: hypertensive disorders of pregnancy), intravenous magnesium (exclusion: pre-eclampsia with severe features), ketamine/phencyclidine/psilocybins/any other psychedelics (exclusion: ketamine or PCP abuse), lithium/valproate/carbamazepine/lamotrigine/haloperidol/chlorpromazine/fluphenazine/aripiprazole/clozapine/other typical or atypical antipsychotic medications (exclusion: schizophrenia or psychosis) Control Participants Inclusion Criteria * Age 18 years and older * Sex: Male or Female * Able to provide informed consent * ASA PS 1, 2, or 3 Exclusion Criteria * Allergy to study medication (ketamine) * ASA PS 4 + * Inability to participate in study procedures for any reason * Patient history of ketamine or PCP abuse * Patient history of schizophrenia or psychosis * Patient history of liver or renal insufficiency * Patient history of uncontrolled hypertension, chest pain, arrhythmia, head trauma, intracranial hypertension, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, or other contraindications to ketamine * Participating in another pain or depression intervention trial * Hemodynamic instability * Pregnant or pregnant within the last 6 weeks * Unwilling to provide urine sample for pregnancy testing (female controls) * Undergoing hormonal or gender affirming therapies * Contraindicated medications use: ketamine, phencyclidine, psilocybins, or other psychedelics (exclusion: ketamine or PCP abuse), lithium/valproate/carbamazepine/lamotrigine/haloperidol/chlorpromazine/fluphenazine/aripiprazole/clozapine, or other typical or atypical antipsychotic medications (exclusion: schizophrenia or psychosis)
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States
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