Efficacy and adverse effects of ketamine versus electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Affective Disorders March 1, 2023 Debora de A. Simoes Moreira, Luís Eduardo Gauer, Guilherme Teixeira et al. 25 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials or cohort studies comparing ketamine with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant depression found no evidence that ketamine is superior to ECT in reducing depressive symptom severity or in achieving response to therapy. Among side effects, patients treated with ketamine had a statistically significant lower risk of muscle pain compared with those receiving ECT. The analysis also noted trends toward more dissociative symptoms with ketamine and less nausea and headache, but these differences were not statistically significant. The authors caution that the small number of eligible studies, high heterogeneity, and risk of bias limit the strength of these conclusions.