Ketamine 10mg/5ml oral solution

200mg/20ml

Esketamine 250mg/10ml solution for injection ampoules

250mg/10ml

Ketamine 200mg/2ml solution for injection vials

200mg/2ml

Ketamine 500mg/10ml solution for injection ampoules

500mg/10ml

Ketamine 40mg capsules

Capsule

40mg

Drug monograph — bnf.nice.org.uk

Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.

NHS prescribing volume and spending trends

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Clinical guidelines and formulary information

British National Formulary

Ketamine

BNF

Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

NICE clinical guidance(9)

Major trauma: assessment and initial management (NG39)

NG39

Updated Feb 2016

Perioperative care in adults (NG180)

NG180

Updated Aug 2020

Sedation in under 19s: using sedation for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (CG112)

CG112

Clinical guideline

Updated Dec 2010

Spinal injury: assessment and initial management (NG41)

NG41

Updated Feb 2016

Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain (NG193)

NG193

Updated Apr 2021

End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions: planning and management (NG61)

NG61

Highly specialised technology

Updated Jul 2019

Birch bark extract for treating epidermolysis bullosa (HST28)

HST28

Updated Sept 2023

Sexual health (QS178)

QS178

Quality standard

Updated Feb 2019

HIV testing: increasing uptake among people who may have undiagnosed HIV (NG60)

NG60

Updated Sept 2025

Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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Pharmacy stock checkers

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Supply & product information

Official product databases and supply status monitoring

Shortages info

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS)

emc product search

Discontinuations & alternatives for Ketamine

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Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems

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These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.

NHS UK identifiers

SNOMED CT

8563311000001102

dm+d ID

8563311000001102

VTM (Virtual Therapeutic Moiety)

776446001

VMP (Virtual Medicinal Product)

8563311000001102

BNF code

04060000

International identifiers

ATC code — Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (WHO)

N01AX03

Browse tools

dm+d Browser

NHSBSA medicines dictionary lookup

SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).

Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov

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Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.

Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank

go.drugbank.com

Key facts

Drug status

Approved

Major interactions

1 found

Half-life

186 min

Mechanism

Ketamine interacts with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, opioid receptors,…

Food interactions

1 warning

Human targets

14 targets

Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0

Pharmacokinetics at a glance

Absorption

93%

Ketamine absorption is very rapid and the bioavailability is around 93%.…

Half-life

186 min

The reported half-life in preclinical studies for ketamine is 186 min.
[A31883]

Protein binding

53.5%

The plasma protein binding of ketamine accounts for 53.5% of the administered dose.
[A31887]

Volume of distribution

371.3 ml

The apparent volume of distribution of the central compartment and at steady-state are 371.3 ml/kg and 4060.3 ml/kg, respectively.
[A31889]

Metabolism

Ketamine presents a mainly hepatic metabolism and its major metabolite is norketamine.…

Elimination

85-95%

Pharmacokinetic studies have resulted in the recovery of 85-95% of the administered dose in urine mainly in the form of metabolites.…

Clearance

95 L/h

The clearance rate of ketamine is high and of around 95 L/h/70kg.
[A31885]

Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0

Status:

Approved

Investigational

Vet approved

Small molecule

About this compound

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist with a potent anesthetic effect.[A31869] It was developed in 1963 as a replacement for phencyclidine (PCP) by Calvin Stevens at Parke Davis Laboratories. It started being used for veterinary purposes in Belgium and in 1964 was proven that compared to PCP, it produced minor hallucinogenic effects and shorter psychotomimetic effects. It was FDA approved in 1970, and from there, it has been used as an anesthetic for children or patients undergoing minor surgeries but mainly for veterinary purposes.[L1332]

Properties:

solid

Avg. mass: 237.72 Da

View FDA drug label

DrugBank indication

Ketamine is indicated as an anesthetic agent for recommended diagnostic and surgical procedures. If skeletal muscle relaxation is needed, it should be combined with a muscle relaxant. If the surgical procedure involves visceral pain, it should be supplemented with an agent that obtunds visceral pain.

Ketamine can be used for induction of anesthesia prior other general anesthetic agents and as a supplement of low potency agents.[L1336, FDA label]

Reports have indicated a potential use of ketamine as a therapeutic tool for the management of depression when administered in lower doses.
[A31873]
These reports have increased the interest for ketamine in this area and several clinical trials are launched for this indication.
[L1337][A31874]

Also known as(162)

(+-)-Ketamine

(±)-ketamine

2-(2-Chloro-phenyl)-2-methylamino-cyclohexanone

2-(methylamino)-2-(2-chlorophenyl)cyclohexanone

2-(o-chlorophenyl)-2-(methylamino)-cyclohexanone

DL-ketamine

Ketamina

Ketamine

Dosage forms(32)

Injection (Intramuscular)

Injection (Intramuscular; Intravenous) — 100 MG/ML

Injection (Intramuscular) — 50 MG/ML

Injection (Intramuscular; Intravenous) — 10 mg/1mL

Injection (Intramuscular; Intravenous) — 100 mg/1mL

Injection (Intramuscular; Intravenous) — 50 mg/1mL

Injection (Intravenous) — 50 MG/ML

Solution (Intramuscular; Intravenous) — 50 mg / mL

Molecular properties(19)

Drug interactions(1862)

Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.

Aripiprazole

Moderate

DB01238

The metabolism of Aripiprazole can be increased when combined with Ketamine.

Aripiprazole lauroxil

Moderate

DB14185

The metabolism of Aripiprazole lauroxil can be increased when combined with Ketamine.

Buprenorphine

Moderate

DB00921

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Buprenorphine.

Doxylamine

Moderate

DB00366

Doxylamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Dronabinol

Moderate

DB00470

Dronabinol may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Droperidol

Moderate

DB00450

Droperidol may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Hydrocodone

Moderate

DB00956

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Hydrocodone.

Hydroxyzine

Moderate

DB00557

Hydroxyzine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Magnesium sulfate

Moderate

DB00653

The therapeutic efficacy of Ketamine can be increased when used in combination with Magnesium sulfate.

Methotrimeprazine

Moderate

DB01403

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Methotrimeprazine.

Metyrosine

Moderate

DB00765

Ketamine may increase the sedative activities of Metyrosine.

Minocycline

Moderate

DB01017

Minocycline may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Mirtazapine

Moderate

DB00370

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Mirtazapine.

Nabilone

Moderate

DB00486

Nabilone may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Orphenadrine

Moderate

DB01173

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Orphenadrine.

Paraldehyde

Moderate

DB09117

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Paraldehyde.

Pramipexole

Moderate

DB00413

Ketamine may increase the sedative activities of Pramipexole.

Ropinirole

Moderate

DB00268

Ketamine may increase the sedative activities of Ropinirole.

Rotigotine

Moderate

DB05271

Ketamine may increase the sedative activities of Rotigotine.

Rufinamide

Unknown severity

DB06201

The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Rufinamide is combined with Ketamine.

Sodium oxybate

Unknown severity

DB09072

The risk or severity of CNS depression can be increased when Ketamine is combined with Sodium oxybate.

Suvorexant

Moderate

DB09034

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Suvorexant.

Tapentadol

Moderate

DB06204

Tapentadol may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Ketamine.

Thalidomide

Moderate

DB01041

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Thalidomide.

Zolpidem

Moderate

DB00425

Ketamine may increase the central nervous system depressant (CNS depressant) activities of Zolpidem.

Methadone

Unknown severity

DB00333

The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Methadone is combined with Ketamine.

Mifepristone

Unknown severity

DB00834

The serum concentration of Ketamine can be increased when it is combined with Mifepristone.

Memantine

Unknown severity

DB01043

The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Ketamine is combined with Memantine.

Dipyridamole

Moderate

DB00975

The therapeutic efficacy of Ketamine can be decreased when used in combination with Dipyridamole.

Ephedrine

Moderate

DB01364

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Ephedrine.

Bambuterol

Moderate

DB01408

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Bambuterol.

Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P

Moderate

DB05875

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Sar9, Met (O2)11-Substance P.

Procaine

Moderate

DB00721

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Procaine.

Cocaine

Moderate

DB00907

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Cocaine.

Trimethaphan

Moderate

DB01116

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Trimethaphan.

Doxacurium

Moderate

DB01135

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Doxacurium.

Chloroprocaine

Moderate

DB01161

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Chloroprocaine.

Tubocurarine

Moderate

DB01199

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Tubocurarine.

Aclidinium

Moderate

DB08897

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Aclidinium.

Propacetamol

Moderate

DB09288

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Propacetamol.

Clevidipine

Moderate

DB04920

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Clevidipine.

Mirabegron

Moderate

DB08893

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Mirabegron.

Moxisylyte

Moderate

DB09205

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Moxisylyte.

Butyrylthiocholine

Moderate

DB04250

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Butyrylthiocholine.

Oxybuprocaine

Moderate

DB00892

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Oxybuprocaine.

Benzonatate

Moderate

DB00868

Ketamine may increase the neuromuscular blocking activities of Benzonatate.

Irinotecan

Moderate

DB00762

The metabolism of Ketamine can be decreased when combined with Irinotecan.

Ifosfamide

Moderate

DB01181

The metabolism of Ifosfamide can be increased when combined with Ketamine.

Perampanel

Moderate

DB08883

The metabolism of Perampanel can be increased when combined with Ketamine.

Warfarin

Moderate

DB00682

The metabolism of Warfarin can be increased when combined with Ketamine.