Intravenous ketamine therapy in a patient with a treatment-resistant major depression
Swiss Medical Weekly April 21, 2007 M Liebrenz, A Borgeat, R Leisinger 75 citations
A single intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) produced a rapid and substantial improvement in depression symptoms in a 55-year-old man with treatment-resistant major depression and co-occurring alcohol and benzodiazepine dependence. Depression scores dropped by more than half within two days, with the Hamilton Depression Rating scale falling from 36 to 16 and the Beck Depression Inventory from 26 to 9. The patient reported feeling better within 25 minutes of the infusion, and the positive effects lasted for at least seven days. The presence of substance use disorders did not diminish ketamine's antidepressant action.