Oral Ketamine for the Treatment of Depression: A randomized controlled trial and meta-analysis
Leo R. Silberbauer, Benjamin Eggerstorfer, Paul Michenthaler, Sabine Reichel, Thomas Stimpfl, Thomas Vanicek, Angela Naderi-Heiden, Siegfried Kasper, Rupert Lanzenberger, Gregor Gryglewski
medRxiv Preprint Server March 21, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.03.21.25324252 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Oral ketamine |
| Topics | Ketamine Depression Esketamine |
| Keywords | Depression treatment Mental health management Mood disorder therapy Antidepressant care Psychiatric intervention Oral ketamine At-home ketamine Self-administered ketamine Non-iv ketamine Oral antidepressant Home-based therapy Remote treatment At-home care Accessible treatment Telehealth Convenient therapy Clinical trials Medical studies Randomized trials Meta-analysis Drug development Therapeutic investigation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Oral ketamine may be an alternative to intravenous and intranasal routes for antidepressant therapy, offering easier administration and established safety in home settings for chronic pain. |
Abstract
Background Ketamine represents a significant advancement in antidepressant therapy, but the commonly used intravenous and intranasal application routes currently limit its availability beyond specialized centers. By contrast, oral ketamine treatment might constitute an alternative that is easy to administer with established safety and efficacy for patients with chronic and severe pain at home.