A Randomized Add-on Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression
Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2010 Nancy Diazgranados, Lobna Ibrahim, Nancy E. Brutsché et al. 969 citations
A single intravenous dose of ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antagonist, produced rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression. Depressive symptoms improved within 40 minutes and remained significantly better than placebo through day 3. The largest drug effect occurred at day 2. Seventy-one percent of subjects responded to ketamine versus 6% to placebo. One subject in each group developed manic symptoms. Ketamine was generally well tolerated, with dissociative symptoms only at the 40-minute point.