Drug Monitoring, Ketamine, Quantitative, Urine
Use
Ketamine is a potent dissociative anesthetic and hallucinogenic. It is used therapeutically—particularly esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation—and also has significant potential for misuse and abuse due to its dissociative effects. This quantitative urine assay provides definitive evidence of ketamine use, supporting therapeutic drug monitoring for compliance and diversion detection; however, quantitative urine levels should not be interpreted as indicative of dose or pattern of use due to high metabolism and urinary excretion rates.
Special Instructions
This test is not available for New York patient testing. Urine is the preferred specimen; oral fluid may also be acceptable in certain contexts. Serum/plasma should only be used in anuric patients or when clinical presentation does not align with prescribed medications. Combined approaches are recommended for monitoring drug use patterns.
Limitations
Quantitative urine values cannot be used to assess dose due to extensive metabolism and excretion of ketamine. No single monitoring approach is adequate in isolation — comprehensive clinical and laboratory data integration is essential for accurate interpretation.
Methodology
Mass Spectrometry
Biomarkers
Result Turnaround Time
1-3 days
Related Documents
For more information, please review the documents below
Specimen
Urine
Volume
2 mL (1 mL minimum) random urine
Minimum Volume
1 mL
Container
plastic urine container
Causes for Rejection
Preserved urine
Stability Requirements
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Room Temperature | 7 days |
| Refrigerated | 14 days |
| Frozen | 30 days |