Repeat-dose ketamine augmentation for treatment-resistant depression with chronic suicidal ideation: A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial.
Journal of Affective Disorders January 1, 2019 D. Ionescu, Kate H Bentley, M. Eikermann et al. 179 citations
Repeated doses of ketamine did not reduce depression or suicidal ideation more than placebo in outpatients with severe, treatment-resistant depression and chronic suicidal thoughts. Twenty-six medicated adults received six infusions of ketamine or saline over three weeks. Neither depression severity nor suicidal ideation differed between groups during the infusion phase. At three months, two patients in each group had remitted from depression. The authors suggest that the standard 0.5 mg/kg dose may be insufficient for this severely ill outpatient population.