Ketamine Therapy for Fibromyalgia

What the Evidence Says About Ketamine for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia sits in the weaker tier of ketamine's chronic-pain evidence. The 2018 ASRA/AAPM/ASA consensus guidelines' overall finding — "evidence supports the use of ketamine for chronic pain, but the level of evidence varies by condition and dose range" — cuts both ways here: unlike CRPS's moderate-evidence rating, fibromyalgia support comes from small trials in which pain relief generally did not persist long after the infusion ended.

That doesn't mean no one benefits — it means expectations should be calibrated. A candid clinic will describe ketamine for fibromyalgia as experimental, discuss the short expected duration of relief, and position it after (not instead of) established fibromyalgia care.

FDA status: No form of ketamine is FDA-approved for fibromyalgia. Generic (racemic) ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic; its use for this condition is off-label, prescribed at a clinician's discretion.

Sources:

• Cohen et al., Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain (ASRA/AAPM/ASA, Reg Anesth Pain Med 2018)

Related Reading

• Ketamine Side Effects: Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?
• How Much Does Ketamine Therapy Cost?