Efficacy of racemic ketamine or esketamine monotherapy for reducing suicidal ideation in uni- or bipolar depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience October 9, 2024 Jiafeng Li, Ling Ma, Huan Sun et al. 5 citations
Racemic ketamine monotherapy rapidly reduces suicidal thoughts in people with unipolar or bipolar depression, but the effect is short-lived and esketamine shows inconsistent evidence. A meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving 1,109 individuals found that those receiving racemic ketamine had a significantly higher rate of acute remission of suicidal ideation compared to placebo or midazolam (risk ratio 2.06). Racemic ketamine also lowered suicidal ideation scores. However, no significant long-term anti-suicidal effects were found for either racemic ketamine or esketamine, and evidence for esketamine was inconsistent.