Potential Synergy of Lithium and Ketamine in Treatment of Recurrent Major Depression
Tony Sun, Dimitry Francois
Psychiatric Annals April 1, 2022 DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20220302-01 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | One hospitalized patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder |
| Interventions | Ketamine Lithium |
| Duration | 2.5 months of hospitalization; ketamine infusions given biweekly |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | In a patient with major depressive disorder who had not responded to electroconvulsive therapy or multiple classes of antidepressants during 2.5 months of hospitalization, the authors report that biweekly ketamine infusions augmented with lithium were followed by improvement in depressive symptoms and successful discharge. |
Abstract
Combination pharmacotherapy has proven to be effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly when medications from different drug classes are combined. Lithium and ketamine, although typically not prescribed as first-line treatments, have been used individually to augment the effects of antidepressants; however, little is known about the efficacy of combined lithium and ketamine therapy in treating MDD. We present a patient diagnosed as having MDD whose biweekly ketamine infusions augmented with lithium resulted in an improvement of depressive symptoms, leading to a successful discharge following 2.5 months of hospitalization, during which the patient failed to show improvement with both electroconvulsive therapy and trials of multiple classes of antidepressants. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2022;52(4):170–172.]
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- A Randomized Add-on Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2010
- Ketamine and depression: a narrative review Drug Design, Development and Therapy August 1, 2019
- A single infusion of ketamine improves depression scores in patients with anxious bipolar depression Bipolar Disorders November 14, 2014
- Dose-Related Effects of Adjunctive Ketamine in Taiwanese Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression. Neuropsychopharmacology December 2017
- Ketamine augmentation rapidly improves depression scores in inpatients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice June 2017
and 2 more in the library