# An Unusual Method to Quickly Reduce Chronic Fatigue Has Been Discovered

Rutgers Health specialists together with the U.S. National Institutes of Health have discovered that ketamine - an anesthetic long used in medicine and a drug for treating severe depression - is capable of temporarily reducing symptoms of chronic fatigue.

As reported by BAKU.WS, the results of a small clinical study have been published in the journal Pharmacological Reports (PR). Ten people with chronic fatigue participated in the pilot trial. Among them were patients who had undergone cancer treatment, as well as people with fibromyalgia, lupus, and chronic fatigue syndrome. First, the volunteers were given a single low dose of ketamine, and two weeks later - the sedative midazolam, used as an active comparator. Just three days after the infusion, fatigue levels decreased by an average of 21 percent. The maximum effect was observed after 24 hours - symptom severity decreased by almost 39 percent.

Despite the fact that ketamine only slightly outperformed the comparator drug, the researchers consider even this result significant. Chronic fatigue remains a complex and poorly understood condition that does not go away even after adequate rest and responds poorly to treatment. According to specialists' estimates, millions of people suffer from it, primarily patients with oncological and autoimmune diseases.

The authors of the study emphasize that the obtained data are preliminary. The small number of participants and the limited format of the study do not allow for definitive conclusions. Currently, the scientists are preparing a larger clinical trial to confirm the identified effect.