N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists for treatment of catatonia in adults: Narrative review.
General hospital psychiatry January 1, 2024 Jeong Hoo Lee, Joji Suzuki 4 citations
For patients with catatonia who do not fully respond to standard treatments like benzodiazepines or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), NMDA receptor antagonists may offer an alternative. A review of 37 articles found that amantadine (27 cases) and memantine (20 cases) were the most commonly reported agents, often showing quick responses when used alone or alongside benzodiazepines. Ketamine and esketamine were used successfully in a small number of cases (5 cases). These medications may be viable options when benzodiazepines are contraindicated, such as when delirium is present, or when ECT is unavailable or poorly tolerated. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.