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Intravenous ketamine infusion for a patient with treatment-resistant major depression: a 10-month follow-up

Ji‐Hye Kwon, Woo-Seok Sim, Jhuo Hong, Inmyung Song, J. Y. Lee

Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics January 25, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/jcpt.12669 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 1
Population A 49-year-old Korean woman with a 6-year history of treatment-resistant major depression
Intervention Ketamine intravenous therapy (KIT)
Duration 10 months of treatment, with KIT administered once every 1 or 2 weeks for a total of 36 treatments
Topics Depression Esketamine Ketamine
Citations 5
Key findings After 36 intravenous ketamine treatments given once every 1 or 2 weeks over 10 months, the patient's mood stabilized and her depressive symptom severity was reduced by nearly 50%. The authors propose that long-term repeated ketamine intravenous therapy may be an option for treatment-resistant and relapsing major depression, but call for further research and large clinical trials to establish the optimal protocol.

Abstract

WHAT IS KNOWN AND

Objective: Ketamine in a subanaesthetic dose has been shown to produce rapid antidepressant effects. Here, we describe a long-term follow-up case of a Korean patient with severe major depression who received repeated ketamine intravenous therapy (KIT). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 49-year-old woman with a 6-year history of treatment-resistant major depression was given KIT once every 1 or 2 weeks over 10 months, for a total of 36 treatments. Her mood stabilized, and she showed a nearly 50% reduction in the severity of her depressive symptom. WHAT IS NEW AND

Conclusion: Long-term repeated KIT may be an option for alleviating treatment-resistant and relapsing major depression. Further research and large clinical trials are needed on the optimum KIT protocol, including dose, dosing interval, total number of treatments and when to stop.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on ketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Electroconvulsive Therapy, Ketamine, and Esketamine in a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder and Multiple Comorbidities: A Case Report over 10-year Treatment from Adolescence to Adulthood. A patient with treatment-resistant depression and comorbid generalized anxiety... 2025 Case report n = 1
Oral Administration of the NMDA Receptor Antagonist S-Ketamine as Add-On Therapy of Depression: A Case Series Four depressed patients taking standard antidepressants 2009 Case series n = 4
A longitudinal case series of IM ketamine for patients with severe and enduring eating disorders and comorbid treatment‐resistant depression Patients with enduring eating disorders and treatment-resistant depression 2021 Case series n = 4
Effects of intranasal (S)-ketamine on Veterans with co-morbid treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: A retrospective case series Veterans with co-morbid depression and PTSD 2022 Retrospective case series n = 35
Case report: Intramuscular ketamine or intranasal esketamine as a treatment in four patients with major depressive disorder and comorbid anorexia nervosa Patients with anorexia nervosa and a comorbid depressive disorder treated at a private... 2023 Case report n = 4

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