Low-Dose Buprenorphine Following Ketamine Treatment for Suicidal Ideation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
The American journal of psychiatry June 1, 2026 Jason M Tucciarone, Igor D. Bandeira, Christine Blasey et al. 5 citations
Ketamine rapidly reduces suicidal thoughts in major depressive disorder, but the effect is short-lived. In this trial, adults with major depression and active suicidal ideation received a single ketamine infusion, then were randomly assigned to take either low-dose buprenorphine or a placebo daily for four weeks. Suicidal thoughts dropped significantly more in the buprenorphine group (average decrease of 11.6 points on the Scale for Suicide Ideation) than in the placebo group (average decrease of 6.3 points). Depression scores did not differ between groups. No serious side effects occurred. Buprenorphine appears to sustain and boost ketamine's antisuicidal effects, offering a potentially safe, scalable option for suicide prevention.