Rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of intravenous ketamine in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation: a randomized clinical trial.
BMC psychiatry May 7, 2024 Ahmad Zolghadriha, Afagh Anjomshoaa, Mohammad Reza Jamshidi et al. 24 citations
In a randomized clinical trial, 64 patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder received either a single intravenous dose of 0.5 mg/kg ketamine or a placebo (normal saline). One hour after administration, the ketamine group showed significantly greater improvement in depression symptoms (score 14.90 vs. 35.16) and suicidal ideation (score 0.42 vs. 6.74) compared to the placebo group. These improvements remained statistically significant at multiple time points up to two months. Common side effects included increased heart rate, headache, dizziness, and dissociative symptoms. The rapid and sustained effects suggest ketamine can relieve depressive symptoms faster than traditional treatments.