Effects of Low-Dose Ketamine on the Antidepressant Efficacy and Suicidal Ideations in Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy.
Journal of ECT January 6, 2020 Qibin Chen, Jun Dong, Jie Luo et al. 22 citations
Adding a low dose of ketamine to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depressive disorder does not improve overall response, remission, or relapse rates, but it does speed up the treatment's effects. Patients receiving 0.3 mg/kg ketamine before ECT required fewer sessions to achieve a response (median 4 vs. 7 sessions) and remission (median 8 vs. 9 sessions), and also reduced suicidal ideation more quickly (median 3 vs. 6 sessions). The findings suggest ketamine can accelerate the onset of ECT's antidepressant benefits without affecting long-term relapse.