Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Ketamine on the Rise

TOPLINE:

Detection rates for ketamine in drug overdose deaths in the United States increased from 0.3% in 2019 to 0.5% in 2023, a new study shows. Overall, ketamine was identified in less than 1% of drug overdose deaths, most of which also involved illegally manufactured fentanyls, methamphetamine, or cocaine.

METHODOLOGY:

• Data were included from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System on 228,668 drug overdose deaths with unintentional or undetermined intent across 45 jurisdictions in the United States.
• Researchers analyzed the data using death certificates, medical examiner or coroner reports, and postmortem toxicology results for detection and/or involvement of ketamine and its metabolites.
• Trend analyses focused on 28 jurisdictions with complete death certificate and toxicology results for > 75% of deaths occurring between 2019 and 2023.

TAKEAWAY:

• Ketamine was detected in 912 (0.4%) overdose deaths, was involved in 440 (0.2%) deaths, and was the only substance involved in 24 (0.01%) deaths.
• Among deaths in which ketamine was detected, 59% also involved illegally manufactured fentanyls, 29% methamphetamine, and 27% cocaine.
• 35% of decedents were aged 25-34 years, with men (71%) and non-Hispanic White persons (74%) comprising the majority of the group.
• In the trend analyses, deaths in which ketamine was detected increased from 47 (0.3%) between July and Dec 2019 to 107 (0.5%) between January and June 2023.

IN PRACTICE:

“As polysubstance use and use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and in compounded formulations increase, continued monitoring is needed to identify potential changes in the detection and involvement of ketamine in overdose deaths and to better understand potential drug interactions or circumstances leading to death,” the investigators wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Alana M. Vivolo-Kantor, PhD, Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. It was published online on November 7 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

LIMITATIONS:

The analyses included only a subset of jurisdictions, potentially limiting generalizability to the entire United States. Additionally, variations in postmortem toxicology testing protocols within and across jurisdictions, and inconsistent inclusion of ketamine in testing panels, may have led to the underestimation of the rate of ketamine detection. 

DISCLOSURES:

Information related to funding was not provided for the study. No conflicts of interest were reported.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.