Ketamine for Chronic Pain and Mental Health: Regulations, Legalities, and the Growth of Infusion Clinics

Purpose of Review In this article, we will review evidence for ketamine’s role in chronic pain and mental health conditions, its current legal status and abuse potential, and the regulations related to its administration in stand-alone infusion clinics, as well as future considerations. Recent Findings In the management of chronic pain, ketamine has shown potential to manage neuropathic pain and complex regional pain syndrome and has been used as a treatment for chronic pain management by clinics across the USA. Analogous to the historic rise of lidocaine clinics, ketamine clinics are demonstrating a similar pattern of unregulated growth. Summary Ketamine is an anesthetic and analgesic agent commonly used in the perioperative setting and emergency department for sedation and pain management (Mo et al in West J Emerg Med 21(2):272–281, 2020 ). It was approved for use by the Federal Drug Administration in the USA in the 1970s as the sole anesthetic agent for short diagnostic and surgical procedures (Coppel et al. in Anaesthesia 28(3):293–296, 1973 ; Schwenk et al. in Reg Anesth Pain Med 43(5):456–466, 2018 ). Regarding its rising popularity as a treatment option in mental health, ketamine holds promise as a rapidly acting treatment for suicidal ideation and refractory depression.