Ketamine is gaining increased recognition for it's therapeutic potential in the off-label treatment of psychiatric conditions and chronic pain. Available in compounding pharmacies, ketamine shares several clinical applications and characteristics with cannabis, including versatility in treating both mind and body; efficacy across a wide dosing range; a well-characterized safety profile; the ability to be delivered via multiple routes of administration; a high response rate in refractory conditions; distinct mechanism(s) of action from to approved treatments; and potentially therapeutic psychoactive effects that have the potential to augment non-pharmacological treatments like psychotherapy. Thus, compounded ketamine may be a welcome addition to therapeutic armamentarium of the cannabis clinician and other integrative practitioners.

Despite the increasing use of compounded ketamine, there is a lack of published data related to patients’ primary indications for use, dose, routes of administration, tolerability, and impact on symptoms and quality of life. To evaluate these questions, we conducted a patient-directed clinical survey that aimed to measure the changes in quality of life of our patients being treated with compounded ketamine. Subjects were recruited from an integrative private practice with extensive experience treating patients with cannabis, and responded to a 51-question survey which include a variation of the HRQOL-14, a standardized quality of life measure, implemented with a then-test and now-test component to evaluate changes in the quality of life scores after starting ketamine. Subjects also provided data on demographics, medical history and qualitative data related to their experiences with ketamine.

Learning Objectives:

• Compounded ketamine therapy may serve as a viable refractory treatment method for clients suffering from psychiatric health and chronic pain conditions
  
  
• Patients undergoing treatment have generally positive experiences with compounded ketamine therapy