Ketamine Infusion for Comorbid PTSD and Chronic Pain

Inclusion Criteria:

Veterans with chronic pain as defined by having any chronic pain beyond 6 months in duration with and without PTSD diagnoses (participants must meet DSM-V criteria for current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and have received a diagnosis of PTSD greater than or equal to 3 months prior to assessment); they also will be either free of concomitant use of psychotropic and/or pain medications for at least 6 weeks or on stable doses of those medications within the last 6 weeks prior to randomization and for the duration of the study; if applicable, current frequency and duration of psychotherapy sessions must remain stable for at least 6 weeks prior to beginning of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Inability to speak English, inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent; moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination scores\<20 administered by a trained clinician); current or lifetime history of psychotic or bipolar disorder; current bulimia or anorexia nervosa, alcohol abuse or dependence in the previous 3 months; serious unstable medical illness or sleep apnea; HTN, prolonged QT interval, peptic ulcer disease or recent history of GI-bleed, renal insufficiency, active substance use disorder, active suicidal or homicidal ideation on presentation; pregnancy (confirmed by baseline lab test), the initiation of female hormonal treatments within 3 months of screening, or inability or unwillingness to use a medically accepted contraceptive method for the duration of the study.