Antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients

Summary & key facts

This small, early study gave a single low dose of ketamine through a vein to people with major depression and compared it to a fake infusion. Many people felt their low mood get better within hours and over the next few days. The mood lift happened fast and the strange mind changes from ketamine were short-lived. The study was very small, so the results show promise but do not prove long-term benefit or safety.

Key facts:

• Researchers gave a single low dose of ketamine through a vein to a small group of people with major depression and compared it to a fake infusion.
• People who got ketamine showed a quick improvement in depressive symptoms that could be seen within hours and lasted for days in some cases.
• The mental side effects people had during the infusion, like feeling detached or having odd perceptions, were temporary and faded after the drug wore off.
• This was a very small study with only a handful of people, so the results are only preliminary and need to be tested in larger studies.
• Because of the small size and short follow-up, the study cannot say how long the benefits last or how safe repeated treatments would be.

Topics

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

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Alternative medicine Anesthesia Antagonist Antidepressant Behavioural despair test Depression (economics) Developmental psychology Economics Glutamate receptor Hippocampus Internal medicine Ketamine Ketamine hydrochloride Macroeconomics Medicine NMDA receptor Pathology Pathophysiology Placebo Psychology Randomized controlled trial Rating scale Receptor Saline

Substances

Ketamine

Conditions & symptoms

Depression Feeling disconnected from others Sadness or low mood