Real-World Effectiveness of Repeated Ketamine Infusions for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression.
Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) October 1, 2023 Farhan Fancy, Nelson B Rodrigues, Joshua D Di Vincenzo et al. 4 citations
Repeated intravenous ketamine infusions significantly reduced depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar I/II depression, and improved functioning. In an observational study of 66 patients receiving four infusions over two weeks, depressive symptoms dropped by an average of 6.08 points on the QIDS-SR16 scale. Response rate was 35% and remission rate 20%. Hypomania occurred in only 4.5% of patients, with no mania or psychosis. The findings suggest real-world effectiveness and tolerability of IV ketamine for bipolar depression.