Efficacy and safety of ketamine maintenance therapy in treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review of treatment protocols and clinical outcomes

Summary & key facts

The authors gathered and reviewed studies where people with depression that did not get better from usual treatments received ongoing ketamine sessions to keep feeling better. They compared how doctors gave ketamine, how long the mood improvement lasted, and what side effects happened. The review found that ongoing ketamine helped some people keep antidepressant effects for weeks to months, but the way it was given varied a lot across studies and the overall evidence is still limited. Short-term side effects like feeling detached or higher blood pressure were common, and long-term safety and risk of misuse are not yet clear. The authors say larger, longer studies are needed to know who benefits most and how to give ketamine safely over time.

Key facts:

• The paper collected and summarized studies of maintenance (ongoing) ketamine treatment for people whose depression did not improve with standard treatments.
• Researchers compared different treatment details like dose, how ketamine was given, how often it was given, and how long the treatment lasted.
• Some studies reported that repeated ketamine doses kept antidepressant effects going for weeks to months in some patients.
• Treatment methods in the reviewed studies varied a lot, so it is hard to say which specific schedule works best.
• Common short-term side effects included feeling detached from reality (called dissociation) and temporary increases in blood pressure.
• The review found that long-term safety, the risk of misuse, and who benefits most are still uncertain because most studies were small or short, so bigger and longer trials are needed.

Topics

Digital Mental Health Interventions Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Clinical trial Dosing Duration (music) Intensive care medicine Intervention (counseling) Ketamine Maintenance therapy Medicine MEDLINE Optimal maintenance Outcome (game theory) Patient safety Pharmacotherapy Protocol (science) Selection (genetic algorithm)

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Depression Lack of energy or motivation Sadness or low mood