Safety and Efficacy of Repeated-Dose Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Summary & key facts

Researchers gave repeated intravenous ketamine to a small group of people whose depression had not improved with usual treatments. Over about two weeks they received several ketamine infusions. Most people felt much less depressed quickly, and the extra improvement lasted for a few weeks on average. Side effects were short-lived and included feeling dissociated or having higher blood pressure during the infusion. The study was small and not blind, so the results are promising but need testing in larger, controlled trials.

Key facts:

• Ten people with depression that had not improved on standard treatments received a series of six intravenous ketamine infusions spread over about two weeks.
• About seven out of ten people showed a strong antidepressant response after the repeated infusions.
• The antidepressant effect began quickly and, for most people, lasted for a few weeks after the last infusion; the typical time before symptoms returned was on the order of a few weeks.
• Common side effects were temporary. People sometimes felt detached from themselves (dissociation) or had a short rise in blood pressure during the infusion, and these effects went away after the treatment.
• No serious long-lasting safety problems were reported during the short study period, but the study was small and was not designed to show long-term safety or prove that ketamine caused the improvements.
• Because this was a small, open trial without a placebo comparison, the findings suggest ketamine could work for treatment-resistant depression but do not prove it. Larger, controlled studies are needed to be sure.

Topics

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Adverse effect Amygdala Anesthesia Antidepressant Depression (economics) Economics Hippocampus Internal medicine Ketamine Macroeconomics Major depressive disorder Medicine NMDA receptor Psychotomimetic Receptor Tolerability Treatment-resistant depression

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Depression Lack of energy or motivation Sadness or low mood