Efficacy of a single low dose of esketamine after childbirth for mothers with symptoms of prenatal depression: randomised clinical trial.
BMJ (Clinical research ed.) April 10, 2024 Shuo Wang, Chun-Mei Deng, Yuan Zeng et al. 64 citations
A single low dose of esketamine given after childbirth reduces the risk of a major depressive episode at 42 days postpartum by about three quarters in mothers with prenatal depression. In a randomized trial of 364 mothers with at least mild prenatal depression, 6.7% of those receiving esketamine experienced a major depressive episode compared with 25.4% in the placebo group. Depression scores were also lower in the esketamine group at 7 and 42 days. Neuropsychiatric side effects were more common with esketamine (45.1% vs 22.0%) but were transient and resolved without drug treatment.