At a clinical research hospital, the Department of Perioperative Services has recently implemented an opioid-free anesthesia protocol for selected patients undergoing robotic-assisted prostatectomy. This protocol incorporates intraoperative infusions of ketamine, lidocaine, and magnesium as part of a multimodal analgesic strategy. The present case report describes an unusual occurrence of...
American Journal on AddictionsJanuary 28, 2026Mariana C De Oliveira, Cláudia C De Araujo Palmeira, André B Negrão et al.1 citation
Opioid use disorder (OUD) presents major challenges, especially when combined with chronic pain and psychiatric comorbidities. A 25-year-old woman with OUD, chronic pain, and major depressive disorder underwent an 8-week protocol of intravenous ketamine infusions (0.5 mg/kg weekly) as an adjunct to opioid tapering. Methadone dosage was reduced by 50%, with improved pain and craving control,...
Intranasal esketamine has demonstrated efficacy and safety for treatment-resistant depression in randomized controlled trials, however the generalizability of these findings to clinical practice remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize real-world evidence of intranasal esketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression. A systematic search was...
This manuscript comprehensively reviews psilocybin-assisted therapy for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. It aims to synthesize current understanding regarding its mechanisms, efficacy, safety, costs, and accessibility, comparing it with conventional antidepressant and ketamine treatments. The methodology involved a narrative synthesis of academic literature, drawing...
Non-tracheal intubation anaesthesia for thoracoscopic surgery is associated with intraoperative hypoxaemia. Esketamine has both sedative and analgesic effects, which can increase lung compliance, reduce airway resistance and relax the respiratory smooth muscles. This study will investigate the effectiveness of low-dose esketamine in reducing the incidence of intraoperative hypoxaemia and other...
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric condition that affects individuals worldwide. While neuronal deficits have long been recognized in depression pathogenesis, astroglia are increasingly gaining attention. Astroglia are essential for maintaining brain homeostasis, and regulate neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, and metabolic processes that are disrupted in MDD....
BiologyJanuary 25, 2026Claire A. Rice, Robert W. Stackman
Ketamine (KET) administration protocols vary widely in their design, with acute, sub-chronic, and chronic dosing regimens used to induce psychotic-like behavior in rodent models. This review compares representative classic and contemporary studies employing differing KET administration protocols to model psychosis in laboratory rodents. Specifically, we have focused on the behavioral tasks and...
Up to eight infusions of ketamine were not more effective than a psychoactive placebo in reducing depressive symptoms in patients receiving inpatient treatment for depression, a randomized trial has found. Patients receiving ketamine also showed no improvement relative to those receiving midazolam on measures of cognition and quality of life. Study results were published online Oct. 22, 2025 in...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) poses a significant clinical challenge, with limited evidence guiding long-term pharmacological strategies. Esketamine, a glutamatergic modulator, has demonstrated short-term efficacy in TRD, but data on its extended use in real-world settings remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and side-effects of intranasal esketamine...
Comparing treatments for severe and medication-resistant depression is essential for guiding clinical decision-making. In this meta-analysis, we investigate the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) compared to ketamine for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and address the discrepant results of prior meta-analyses. We systematically searched PubMED (MEDLINE), Embase, and...
Critical CareJanuary 23, 2026Abdulrahman Ibrahim Alzmmam, Reema Fahad Alghanem, Asma Alshahrani et al.
Optimal pain and sedation management in intensive care unit (ICU) remains challenging. While opioids and benzodiazepines are widely used, their adverse effects highlight the need for alternative or adjunctive strategies. Ketamine, with its analgesic and opioid-sparing has been proposed as an adjuvant. However, current evidence regarding its efficacy in ICU patients, particularly within the...
Intravenous (IV) ketamine is an emerging intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), yet the temporal dynamics of response and the optimal number of infusions remain unclear, particularly in real-world clinical populations with psychiatric comorbidities. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 209 adults with TRD treated with IV ketamine at an interventional psychiatry program....
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and depression frequently co-occur, yet the biological basis of this comorbidity and effective therapeutic strategies remain poorly defined. METHODS: We established a rat model of COPD-depression comorbidity through sequential cigarette-smoke exposure and chronic unpredictable mild stress. Pulmonary function, depression-like behaviors,...
The postpartum period is notorious for rapid and profound changes for birthing individuals and their families. Significant shifts to hormonal and physical health, routines and family roles, and the salience of personal and community risk factors all contribute to potential psychiatric and psychological distress for parents, sometimes diagnosed as a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD)....
Introduction Transgender and gender-expansive people experience high rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma-related distress, yet few evidence-based interventions are tailored to their needs. Kindred is a novel, group-based ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) program that integrates cognitive processing therapy (CPT) to address identity-based trauma. Methods This mixed-methods pilot study...
Evidence supporting the use of intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine for depression has dramatically increased with a large number of clinical trials and real-world effectiveness studies supporting antidepressant effects. Larger studies have provided reassuring data supporting an adequate safety profile, including safety data with long-term treatment. Alternative routes of...
Pharmacological ReportsJanuary 22, 2026Taichi Goto, Joy D Kreskow, Alexander L R Ross et al.
Fatigue, a prevalent symptom of chronic illness, impacts quality of life. This proof-of-concept, randomized, double-blind, crossover trial assessed the anti-fatigue effects of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) versus midazolam (0.045 mg/kg), the active comparator. Ten participants, who were cancer survivors, with fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or systemic lupus...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) poses a major challenge in research and clinical practice. Various guidelines recommend different pharmacological approaches. While lithium and second-generation antipsychotics have traditionally been the drugs of choice in cases of medication resistance, recent years have seen increasing evidence for the efficacy of esketamine as a fast-acting agent against...
Depression is a significant global health issue, often accompanied by suicidality, which requires urgent and effective interventions. Oral ketamine is emerging as a potential rapid-acting treatment, but data on its efficacy and tolerability remain limited, particularly in the Indian context. Thus, this retrospective study was conducted to assess the response to oral ketamine in patients with...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major clinical challenge worldwide and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where the burden of mental health disorders continues to rise. Conventional TRD therapies, including antidepressants, augmentation strategies, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), often result in incomplete remission and are associated with significant...