Repeated infusions of ketamine show cumulative benefits for depression
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update July 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1002/pu.30446 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant depression |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Duration | Six infusions over 2 weeks (three times a week), followed by a final phase of weekly infusions |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key points | Six ketamine infusions administered three times a week over two weeks produced cumulative and sustained antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, and among responders, antidepressant response was generally maintained with weekly infusions during the study's final phase. |
Abstract
A study examining the effects of single, repeated, and maintenance doses of ketamine on patients with treatment‐resistant depression has found cumulative and sustained antidepressant effects from six infusions administered three times a week over 2 weeks. The study also found that among responders to the repeated infusions, antidepressant response was generally maintained with weekly infusions in the study's final phase.