Ketamine — a unique adjuvant drug in pain treatment

Abstract

Ketamine is an anaesthetic with unique properties. Synthesised for the first time in the early 1960s, it causes dissociative anaesthesia, sedation, amnesia, and analgesia. Due to hallucinogenic effects, the use of the drug was significantly reduced in the 1980s. At present, ketamine is used to treat acute and chronic pain, especially pain resistant to other pain management methods. Ketamine can be effective in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain syndromes, prevention of secondary hyperalgesia in burn injuries, treatment of muscle pain in patients with fibromyalgia, metastatic bone pain and treatment of pain caused by oral mucositis.