Buprenorphine following ketamine treatment enhances anti‐suicidal effects
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/pu.31484 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) |
| Interventions | Ketamine Buprenorphine |
| Duration | 4 weeks of buprenorphine treatment following a single ketamine infusion |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Buprenorphine following a single ketamine infusion significantly reduced suicidal ideation compared with ketamine plus placebo over four weeks, with no serious treatment-related adverse events. |
Abstract
Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who received 4 weeks of buprenorphine treatment following a single infusion of ketamine experienced a significant reduction in suicidal ideation compared with ketamine plus placebo, a randomized, double‐blind trial has found. No serious treatment‐related adverse events were reported. Study results were published online May 19, 2026 in the American Journal of Psychiatry .
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Healthy human subjects recruited from the community | 1994 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Patients with treatment-resistant major depression experiencing a major depressive episode | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
| Remifentanil-induced Postoperative Hyperalgesia and Its Prevention with Small-dose Ketamine Patients undergoing major abdominal surgery | 2005 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 75 |
| Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients with chronic PTSD related to a range of trauma exposures | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Auditory and Visual Context-Dependent Processing in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2000 | Single-blind placebo-controlled study | n = 20 |