• Yoshiaki Okamoto, Satoru Tsuneto, Hitoshi Tanimukai, Yoichi Matsuda, Yumiko Ohno, Mamiko Tsugane, and Etsuko Uejima.
• Department of Pharmacy, Ashiya Municipal Hospital, Hyogo, Japan. okamoysh@phs.osaka-u.ac.jp
• Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2013 Aug 1;30(5):450-4.

BackgroundKetamine is often used to manage neuropathic pain in patients with cancer. However, it occasionally causes psychotomimetic effects such as vivid dreams, nightmares, illusions, hallucinations, and altered body image.ObjectiveTo examine whether gradual dose titration of ketamine for management of neuropathic pain prevents psychotomimetic effects in patients with advanced cancer.MethodsThis was a retrospective chart review. We administered ketamine when neuropathic pain in patients with advanced cancer became refractory to opioids and oral adjuvant analgesics. The starting dose of ketamine was 10 mg/d by continuous intravenous infusion. The dose was gradually increased by 10 mg/d every 4 to 6 hours to 50 mg/d or until the pain was relieved. It was subsequently increased by 25 mg/d every 12 to 24 hours until the pain was relieved.ResultsFor this study, we enrolled 46 patients with advanced cancer. The mean age was 52.2 ± 16.9 years. The mean dose at onset of action and maximum dose of ketamine were 56 ± 58 and 272 ± 214 mg/d, respectively. The mean pain intensity (numerical rating scale) decreased significantly from 7.3 ± 2.0 to 3.5 ± 2.2 after the administration of ketamine (P < .01). The effectiveness was 69.5%. No psychotomimetic effect of less than 300 mg/d was observed during the introduction phase even though psychotropic drugs were not prescribed. Mild sedation was observed in 3 patients (7%) as the only adverse effect during the introduction phase.ConclusionGradual dose titration of ketamine for management of neuropathic pain can prevent psychotomimetic effects in patients with advanced cancer.

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