Intranasal esketamine as tool for rapid cycling bipolar disorder: A case report of successful mood stabilization
Psychiatry Research Case Reports October 18, 2023 Giacomo D’andrea, Ornella di Marco, Francesco Maria Semeraro et al. 1 citation
A 56-year-old man with rapid cycling bipolar disorder, experiencing four or more mood episodes per year, received esketamine nasal spray during a depressive episode and was followed for 18 months. He showed substantial mood stabilization, with only a brief depressive episode when treatment was stopped for three months, which resolved after restarting esketamine. Mild dissociative symptoms occurred with initial doses, but no other serious side effects were reported. This case suggests esketamine nasal spray may have mood-stabilizing effects for rapid cycling bipolar disorder, a condition that often responds poorly to lithium and standard treatments.