Patient preferences for ketamine-based antidepressant treatments in treatment-resistant depression: Results from a clinical trial and panel
Neurology Psychiatry and Brain Research September 1, 2020 A. Fairchild, E. Katz, S. Reed et al. 14 citations
Most people with treatment-resistant depression and a general online sample were willing to accept substantial long-term risks, including ulcerative cystitis and cognitive impairment, to achieve meaningful improvements in depression symptoms. In a survey, 54% of patients who had used esketamine and 64% of panel respondents accepted benefit-risk tradeoffs. They valued improving depression symptoms most highly and were least concerned about avoiding transient post-dose issues like dissociation or dizziness. On average, clinical-trial participants accepted risks of ulcerative cystitis up to 5% or higher to see their depression improve from severe to moderate, while panel respondents accepted somewhat lower risks, though the difference was not statistically significant.