Rapid and Longer-Term Antidepressant Effects of Repeated Ketamine Infusions in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression

Summary & key facts

Researchers gave repeated low-dose ketamine infusions to people whose major depression had not improved with usual treatments. Many people felt better very quickly, often within hours or a few days. Giving several infusions over about two weeks kept the benefit going longer than a single dose for some people, but the improvements usually faded over weeks and the study was small. The results show ketamine can act fast and repeated doses may extend the effect, but more research is needed to know how safe and lasting this is for most patients.

Key facts:

• The study tested repeated low-dose intravenous ketamine in people with major depression that had not responded to other treatments.
• Many participants showed rapid mood improvement. In several cases this improvement began within hours or a few days after an infusion.
• Giving multiple infusions over a short period tended to prolong the antidepressant benefit compared with just one infusion, but the effect often decreased again after a few weeks.
• Side effects were described as short-lived around the time of the infusion, but the study was small and not designed to prove long-term safety.
• Because the study size was limited and not a large placebo-controlled trial, the results are preliminary and need confirmation in bigger, controlled studies.

Topics

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Amygdala Anesthesia Antidepressant Depression (economics) Economics Hippocampus Internal medicine Ketamine Macroeconomics Major depressive disorder Medicine Treatment-resistant depression

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Depression Lack of energy or motivation Poor sleep Sadness or low mood