A randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled study of efficacy, safety, and durability of repeated vs single subanesthetic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression
Translational Psychiatry June 26, 2020 P. Shiroma, P. Thuras, J. Wels et al. 112 citations
In treatment-resistant depression, repeated ketamine infusions showed greater antidepressant effects than the active placebo midazolam after five doses, but when compared head-to-head against a single ketamine infusion added to midazolam over two weeks, the difference was not statistically significant. Fifty-four participants completed all six infusions. The primary outcome, change in depression severity measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale at 24 hours after the last infusion, did not differ significantly between the six-ketamine group and the single-ketamine group. Remission and response rates favored six ketamine after the fourth and fifth infusions, respectively, compared to midazolam before the single ketamine.