Ketamine Safety and Tolerability in Clinical Trials for Treatment-Resistant Depression
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry September 2, 2014 Le-Ben Wan, Cara F. Levitch, Andrew M. Perez et al. 232 citations
Ketamine given intravenously at 0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes was safe and well tolerated in a large group of patients with treatment-resistant depression. Across 205 infusions in 97 participants, the antidepressant response rate was 67%. Only about 2% of infusions were stopped due to adverse effects, and the overall dropout rate was 3%. Common temporary side effects in the first four hours included drowsiness, dizziness, poor coordination, blurred vision, and feeling strange or unreal. About one third of participants had changes in blood pressure or heart rate. There were small but significant increases in psychotomimetic and dissociative symptoms, but no lasting psychotic effects, medical complications, or increased substance use among those followed long-term.