ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07276542PLPUpdated Mar 18, 2026

Clinical Trial Exploring the Outpatient Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain With Ketamine Administration in a Six Month Study With a Minimum Remission Period of 7 Days Between Treatment Session. 25-30 Subjects With an Ongoing History of Significant PLP.--FDA and IRB Approved.

A Phase 2/3 interventional study of IM ketamine in dose finding and then continuation in Phantom Limb Syndrome With Pain, sponsored by The Ketamine Research Foundation. Recruiting at 4 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-18.

Sponsored by The Ketamine Research Foundation · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jan 2026; still recruiting 9 months later.
Phase
Phase 2/3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Must be living Within a 50 mile radius of our study sites: Bay Area, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Los Angeles

An anecdotal report with administration of ketamine in a non-clinical setting providing and sustained remission of symptoms after 6 years has furthered the interest in ascertaining if ketamine might indeed be a successful intervention. (See Wolfson and Barocchi).

Ketamine has shown benefit in a variety of pain and neurological disorders. Its exploration for these continues and there appears to be an expanding use of ketamine for difficult to treat syndromes. Phantom limb pain occurs in over 50% of amputees, tends to be immediate in onset, but may occur at a later time. It is often excruciating, with a high frequency of episodes that tend to diminish with time-- variably. Its treatment is reliant on opioids and other pain medications usually with limited results. Acupuncture has been minimally explored with no clear results. Our study aims at clarifying ketamine's status for this particular disorder.

This is an off-label use of RS ketamine for clinical purposes. Each subject of the 25-30 enrolled in the study will have up to 16 ketamine sessions over six months time, Subjects will be continued in the study if the partial or complete remission period is seven days or more, If less, subjects will be considered to have not adequately responded to the protocol's provision of IM ketamine. Dosage of ketamine will be determined in the initial session with a dosage escalation protocol with an upper limit of 120mg--that limit not to be exceeded for the duration of each subject's participation in the study.. The time for a succeeding session of ketamine is variable depending on response and therefore the duration of the remission--not to be less than 7 days as the minimum consideration for a response, Subjects will receive support throughout their sessions and these will be conducted with integration following the medication, much as in the ketamine assisted psychotherapy model practiced by us as clinicians.

As PLP has its emotional impact as well as its complex pain presentation, these parameters will be followed with a variety of assessment tools. The nature of each subjects PLP syndrome will be analyzed in detail as well as the particularity of responses to the elements of the syndrome..

Living Within a 50 mile radius of our study sites: Bay Area, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Los Angeles

02

Conditions studied

  • Phantom Limb Syndrome With Pain

Keywords

  • Phantom Limb Pain, PLP. ketamine, ketamine and pain, ketamine assisted psychotherapy
03

In context

Phantom Limb

163 studies on the registry are indexed under Phantom Limb; 35 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is close to the median of 30 across 125 interventional studies indexed under Phantom Limb.

Browse Phantom Limb studies →

Lead sponsor

The Ketamine Research Foundation is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of phantom limb pain at the time of administration of ketamine.
  • Willingness to participate in the study and follow-up over a year long period. Living Within a 50 mile radius of our study sites: Bay Area, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Los Angeles
  • Provision of signed and dated, written prior to any study-specific procedures.
  • If female, must have a negative pregnancy test at Screening and any subsequent administration of ketamine. Sexually active females and male partners must be using adequate measures during the duration of the study when ketamine will be administered and for one week after the last administration of ketamine.
  • Patient agrees to withhold alcohol, marijuana, nicotine products, and any other intoxicants for at least 24 hours
  • Normotensive-defined as Abnormal VS, after 5 minutes supine rest at Screening or on Day -1, defined as any of the following:

Systolic BP> 150 mmHg.

  • Diastolic BP> 105 mmHg.
  • HR \<50 or >110 bpm.

    • Not on Medications that would blunt ketamine's effects
    • 18-65
    • No prior history of treatment with ketamine for PLP.

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion Criteria

  • History of any disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the patient at risk because of participation in the study, or influence the results or the patient's ability to participate in the study.
  • Vulnerable persons are Excluded from the study. This includes subjects with known psychotic illness, mania, significant neurologic disorders, elevated intraocular and or intracranial pressures
  • Exclusion of subjects with abnormal baseline hepatic and renal lab tests.
  • Exclusion of subjects with cardiovascular disease, arrythmias, or abnormal EKGs.
  • The presence of any medication that might cause an adverse reaction with ketamine.
  • The Ketalar Label as cited by FDA includes Drug Interactions particular to anesthesia and the use of IV boluses at far higher dosages than those used in our study. In Review of these:

Theophylline Or Aminophyline --Excluded

  • Sympathomimetics And Vasopressin-Excluded
  • Benzodiazepines-PLP patients may be on benzodiazepines or other anxiolytic medications, Subjects will be asked to suspend daytime use of these whenever possible recognizing that anxiety is an often present symptom within the PLP complex. Recognition of a possible increase in sedation due to the concomitant presence of a benzodiazepine with ketamine may lead to a lowering of the ketamine dosage. Nighttime use of a benzodiazepine for treatment of insomnia will not be discontinued unless the dosage is high and considered to have a sedating effect on the degree of ketamine's sedation the next day. The length of time between nighttime use and administration of ketamine during the day should diminish the effects of the nighttime medication.
  • Opioid Analgesics -PLP subjects most likely will have been or will be receiving opiates for pain relief, Concomitant use of ketamine and opiates in outpatient settings for analgesia is a common and accepted practice. Withdrawing opiates for ketamine administered in subanesthetic doses is not appropriate. In several studies ketamine has been shown to reduce the amount of opioids needed for analgesia, It is the hope of this study that successful treatment with ketamine will enable reduction or cessation of opioid use, In our vast clinical experience, we have treated with ketamine at subanesthetic doses patients on opiates without adverse effects.
  • Subjects on long-acting opioids such as methadone or extended-release opioids are excluded.
  • Subjects with opioid use 50 mg/day MME (morphine milliequivalents) within 1 week of initial ketamine administration are excluded.
  • Subjects with +UDS (urine drug screen) for ketamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, PCP, or other substances of abuse are excluded.
  • Subjects who have used THC may be enrolled but must have abstained from THC for at least 3 days prior to each ketamine session

Concomitant medications:

  • Oral IR (immediate release) opioid mu agonists up to 50 mg/day MME (morphine milliequivalents) are allowed (e.g., hydromorphone, oxycodone, morphine, and hydrocodone).
  • No increases of any opioids or other concomitant medications, or addition of new medications or therapies for PLP will be allowed during the study.
  • All concomitant medications, including type and amount, will be recorded by study participants in their daily diaries and reviewed by study staff before each treatment session and any scheduled telephone calls.
  • Participants will not receive opioids 4 hours before or after ketamine administration.
  • Laboratory assessments: Subjects with abnormal baseline hepatic or renal lab tests are to be excluded. In addition, obtain the following laboratory tests at the following times: CBC, hepatic and renal labs at 3 months and 6 months. Follow-up abnormal laboratory values.
  • Or Other CNS Depressants-gabapentin may well be prescribed for patients with PLP as is true for pregabalin, Whenever possible subjects will be asked to withhold these for at least 4 hours prior and not resume for at least 4 hours after the last administration of ketamine. This is consistent with two half-lives of ketamine
  • Alcohol-Daily use exceeding 2 US Standard drinks. No alcohol use in 24 hours preceding a ketamine session.
  • Stimulants-Subjects will be asked to withhold stimulants for 5-12 hours prior to administration of ketamine depending on the duration of action of the particular preparation and not resume until the next day after treatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

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Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2 / Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    PLP Ketamine Intervention

    Drug: IM ketamine in dose finding and then continuation

Interventions

  • DrugIM ketamine in dose finding and then continuation

    Intermittent ketamine treatment based on response

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. McGill Pain Questionnaire SF-MPQ-2

    A complex assassement measure for complex pain presentations

    Time frame: 6 months per subject with a 12 month follow-up

07

Study locations

4 of 4 sites recruiting
  • Shamynds
    Sacramento, California 95818, United States
    Recruiting
  • Ketamine Research Foundation
    San Anselmo, California 94960, United States
    Recruiting
  • Mystic Health
    Santa Monica, California 90403, United States
    Recruiting
  • Lisa Feierman MD
    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Outcome data for each participant

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 18, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07276542
Lead sponsor
The Ketamine Research Foundation
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 11, 2025
Start date
Jan 15, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 18, 2026

Study contacts

Philip E Wolfson, MD
Contact
ketamine.research@gmail.com
+1-415-785-3797
Gabriel Klapman, MD
Contact
ketamine.research@gmail.com
415-785-3797

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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