JAMA Psychiatry
June 5, 2019
Ella J. Daly, Madhukar H. Trivedi, Adam Janik et al.
766 citations
For adults with treatment-resistant depression who achieved stable remission or response after 16 weeks of esketamine nasal spray plus an oral antidepressant, continuing esketamine plus the antidepressant delayed relapse significantly more than switching to placebo plus the antidepressant. Among those in stable remission, 26.7% relapsed on esketamine versus 45.3% on placebo, a 51% reduction in relapse risk. Among stable responders, 25.8% relapsed on esketamine versus 57.6% on placebo, a 70% reduction. Common side effects of esketamine included transient taste disturbance, vertigo, dissociation, drowsiness, and dizziness.
JAMA Psychiatry
December 27, 2017
Ella J. Daly, Jaskaran B. Singh, Maggie Fedgchin et al.
708 citations
In adults with treatment-resistant depression, intranasal esketamine at doses of 28 mg, 56 mg, and 84 mg produced a rapid, dose-related reduction in depressive symptoms compared to placebo, as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. The improvement appeared to persist for more than two months even when dosing frequency was reduced. Adverse events leading to discontinuation occurred in 5% of esketamine-treated participants during the double-blind phase and in 2% during the open-label phase, with no such events in the placebo group.
American Journal of Psychiatry
April 8, 2016
Jaskaran Singh, Maggie Fedgchin, Ella Daly et al.
530 citations
In adults with treatment-resistant depression, intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) given two or three times per week produced a substantial and similar reduction in depression scores over 15 days compared to placebo. The twice-weekly ketamine group showed an average 18.4-point drop on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, versus 5.7 points for placebo; the thrice-weekly group showed a 17.7-point drop, versus 3.1 points for placebo. Headache, anxiety, dissociation, nausea, and dizziness were common side effects, but dissociative symptoms were temporary and lessened with repeated doses.
Psychopharmacology
February 2, 2026
Benjamin Anderson, Andrew Winokur, Grace Chan
1 citation
Intranasal esketamine, approved by the FDA in 2019 for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), showed real-world effectiveness in a clinical setting in Hartford, Connecticut. In a sample of 50 patients whose moderate to severe baseline depressive symptoms were measured with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), symptoms reduced to the mild range after 4 weeks, and this improvement was sustained over 16 weeks of treatment. Adverse effects were transient and generally mild, with dissociation and sedation being most common; there were no safety events, misuse, or dependence, and very few discontinuations due to tolerability. The findings indicate that intranasal esketamine augmentation therapy is safe and effective in routine clinical practice.