Side-effects associated with ketamine use in depression: a systematic review.
Lancet psychiatry January 1, 2018 Brooke L Short, J. Fong, V. Galvez et al. 551 citations
A systematic review of 60 studies on ketamine for depression found that after a single dose, psychiatric, psychotomimetic, cardiovascular, neurological, and other side effects were reported more often with ketamine than with placebo. The review identified a selective reporting bias: long-term safety and repeated-dose effects were poorly assessed in depression patients, even though such data exist for other groups (e.g., chronic pain patients and recreational users). The authors recommend large-scale trials with multiple doses and long-term follow-up to evaluate the safety of regular ketamine use.