INTRODUCTION: Approximately 30-40% of patients with major depressive disorder fail to respond to conventional antidepressants. Ketamine and esketamine are increasingly used, yet synthesized data on cumulative safety remain limited. This systematic review evaluated long-term safety of both agents. METHODS: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception through...
Over the past two decades, ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant, especially among patients with treatment-resistant depression. As an N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine has reshaped the understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of depression treatment. Ketamine induces a transient state of enhanced neuroplasticity and likely...