Ketamine Therapy For Pain Can Also Reduce Substance Misuse; Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic, Canada

Ketamine’s Twofold Impact Helps People Reclaim Control From Chronic Pain And Substance Misuse; Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic, BC, Canada

SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, March 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The substance misuse epidemic hurts families, communities, and health systems across our society. Many people living with chronic pain get trapped in a hard cycle. They have pain that affects sleep, work, mood, and family life. Some may rely too much on opioids, sedatives, or other substances to cope. This is why new research on ketamine-based pain treatment matters. It points to a more practical and hopeful way to care for people with both chronic pain and substance misuse. The peer-reviewed clinical study was published in the SVOA Medical Research journal. Dr Olumuyiwa Bamgbade and the Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic led the clinical research.

The research followed 20 adults with chronic pain who also had problems with substance misuse. These patients received ketamine treatment as part of a broader pain care plan. Over time, the patients showed improvement in pain, mood, and substance dependence. In simple terms, patients did not just hurt less; they also felt better. They felt better emotionally and showed signs of better control over substance use. That is important because pain and substance misuse often feed each other. When pain gets worse, people may use more substances. When substance misuse grows, health, function, and safety often decline.

This research matters because it supports value-based care. Value-based care means focusing on outcomes that matter to patients, not just counting visits, tests, or procedures. It asks a basic question: Are people actually getting better? In this study, the answer appears promising. If one treatment approach can improve pain, mood, and dependence at the same time, that may reduce emergency visits, overdose risk, hospital use, and family stress. It may also help people return to work, function better at home, and live with more dignity.

The research also highlights the need for integrated treatment services for pain and substance misuse. Too often, pain care and substance misuse care happen in separate silos. A patient may see one clinic for pain, another for mental health, and another for substance misuse. That fragmented system can confuse patients and delay recovery. An integrated service brings these parts together. It treats the whole person, not just one symptom or one diagnosis. That is a smarter model for today’s substance misuse epidemic.

Teamwork is central to that model. Physicians assess pain, medical risks, and treatment options. Pharmacists help review medications, spot dangerous drug combinations, support safer prescribing, and guide tapering when needed. Counsellors help patients manage trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, and behaviour change. Nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, and family members also play vital roles. Public health leaders, policymakers, and insurers matter, too, because systems need support and funding to make integrated care a reality.

This research is small, but it does give an important signal. It shows that pain care and substance misuse care should not be treated as separate worlds. In the middle of a substance misuse epidemic, we need treatments that reduce suffering, improve function, and support recovery. Research like this helps show the path forward: better outcomes, better teamwork, and better care for the people who need it most.

Dr Bamgbade is a healthcare leader with an interest in value-based healthcare delivery. He is a specialist physician trained in Nigeria, Britain, the USA, and South Korea. He is an adjunct professor at institutions in Africa, Europe, and North America. He has collaborated with researchers in Nigeria, Australia, Iran, Mozambique, Rwanda, the USA, Kenya, Armenia, South Africa, Britain, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, China, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Cuba, and Canada. He has published 45 scientific papers in PubMed-indexed journals. He is the director of Salem Pain Clinic, a specialist and research clinic in Surrey, BC, Canada. Dr Bamgbade and Salem Pain Clinic focus on researching and managing pain, health equity, injury rehabilitation, neuropathy, insomnia, societal safety, substance misuse, medical sociology, public health, medicolegal science, and perioperative care.

Reference
Bamgbade OA, Asaolu OO, Bamgbade DO, Lawal OO, Butelezi GP, Bada BE, Chorna O, Chansa M, Oyewole OO, Omonua SE, Irakoze A, Savage KJ, Kessi M, Atcham-Amougou LM. Ketamine Therapy for Chronic Pain Provides Added Benefits for Substance Misuse Therapy. SVOA Medical Research 2026, 4:2, 32-38.

Olumuyiwa Bamgbade
Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic
+1 778-628-6600
salem.painclinic@gmail.com
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