Ketamine mouthwash for mucositis pain.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to determine if an oral ketamine swish and expectorate was a safe and effective method to alleviate mucositis pain.


METHODS
A retrospective chart audit was preformed on eight patients who received ketamine mouthwash (20 mg/5 mL) for refractory mucositis pain.


RESULTS
All eight patients had mucositis pain refractory to a mucositis mixture (lidocaine, magnesium/aluminum hydroxide, and diphenhydramine) and opioids. An improvement in mucositis pain was seen in over half (5/8) of the patients. Four of eight patients had adverse effects that could have been associated with the ketamine mouthwash; all side effects were transient and subsided when the ketamine mouthwash was stopped.


CONCLUSIONS
Ketamine swish and expectorate may be a viable treatment option in refractory mucositis pain.
Ryan
Andrew Joseph
AJ
Department of Pharmacy, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037-1300, USA. anryan@ucsd.edu
Lin
Faith
F
Atayee
Rabia Samady
RS
D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008485:Medical Audit; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D052016:Mucositis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000700:Analgesics; D009067:Mouthwashes; D007649:Ketamine