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Long-term follow-up of participants in ketamine clinical trials for mood disorders.

Kelly T Hurst, Abigail Vogeley, Deanna K Greenstein, Lauren Durland, Stephanie Makel, Philip R Wang, Mani Yavi, Carlos A. Zarate, Elizabeth D. Ballard

Journal of Affective Disorders July 15, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.062 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 203
Population Former participants from the NIMH Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch (2002–2022)
Intervention Ketamine
Duration Average 9.04 years follow-up since leaving NIMH
Topics Depression Esketamine Ketamine
Keywords Clinical trials Clinical-trials Depression-treatment Ketamine-therapy Mental-health-research Psychopharmacology
Citations 8
Registration NCT04877977
Key findings Participants who received ketamine in an NIMH clinical trial were more likely to receive ketamine or esketamine post-discharge, but none reported symptoms indicating abuse.

Abstract

Participants who received ketamine at the NIMH were among the first to receive ketamine for depression in controlled clinical trials, providing a unique opportunity to assess long-term outcomes. This analysis evaluated the relationship between participating in a ketamine clinical trial and subsequent ketamine/esketamine use after leaving the research setting. Participants seen within the NIMH Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch from 2002 to 2022 (n = 1000) were contacted for follow-up assessment. Participants reported whether they had used ketamine/esketamine, sought non-prescribed ketamine, attempted suicide, or been psychiatrically hospitalized since discharge. Information regarding their recent depressive symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and hallucinations was also collected. Of the 203 participants in follow-up assessments (55 % female, average time since leaving NIMH = 9.04 years), 52 (25.6 %) had originally received ketamine at the NIMH, and the rest had participated in non-ketamine studies. Individuals who had received ketamine at the NIMH were more likely to have received ketamine/esketamine post-discharge than those who did not receive ketamine at the NIMH (OR = 0.25, p < .001). Participants who reported using ketamine/esketamine post-discharge reported more depressive symptoms than those who had not (p < .001). Receiving ketamine at the NIMH was not associated with differences in suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, dissociation, hallucinations, or attempt to obtain non-prescribed ketamine. Low follow-up study participation rate; varying time since discharge. Participants who received ketamine in an NIMH clinical trial were more likely to receive ketamine/esketamine post-discharge, but none reported symptoms indicating abuse. Results underscore the critical need for long-term follow-up of individuals receiving these and other rapid-acting antidepressants. NCT04877977.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on esketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Treating bipolar depression with esketamine: Safety and effectiveness data from a naturalistic multicentric study on esketamine in bipolar versus unipolar treatment‐resistant depression Patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression (B-TRD) and unipolar... 2023 Observational cohort n = 70
Comparative Effectiveness of Intravenous Ketamine and Intranasal Esketamine in Clinical Practice Among Patients With Treatment-Refractory Depression: An Observational Study. Adults with treatment-resistant depression 2023 Observational study n = 62
Predicting outcome with Intranasal Esketamine treatment: A machine-learning, three-month study in Treatment-Resistant Depression (ESK-LEARNING) Treatment-resistant depression patients 2023 Retrospective, multicentric, real-world study n = 149
Esketamine in treatment-resistant depression patients comorbid with substance-use disorder: A viewpoint on its safety and effectiveness in a subsample of patients from the REAL-ESK study Patients with treatment-resistant depression and a substance use disorder 2023 Observational, retrospective, multicentre study n = 26
Rapid infusion of esketamine for unipolar and bipolar depression: a retrospective chart review Patients with treatment-resistant depression and bipolar depression meeting DSM-IV-TR... 2017 Retrospective observational study n = 27

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Depression Esketamine Ketamine

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