Review Finds Single Ketamine Infusion Reduced Depression Symptoms Within Hours

A review of 26 clinical trials involving more than 1,100 patients found that a single intravenous ketamine infusion reduced depression symptoms within four hours and suicidal thoughts within 24 hours compared with placebo. Researchers from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine conducted the analysis, which was published in May in JAMA Psychiatry.

Approximately 626 patients received ketamine and 540 served as controls.

Most trials focused on major depressive disorder. 5 percent of trials included patients with bipolar depression and 7. Patients who received repeated infusions showed similar reductions in symptoms by the end of treatment. The most common side effects, including headaches, nausea, and dissociation, resolved within hours.

Major depressive disorder affects roughly 280 million people worldwide. A subset of patients do not respond to multiple standard therapies, a condition described as treatment-resistant depression. "When all existing treatment options fail, patients with severe depression could consider ketamine infusions," lead author Taeho Greg Rhee told Fox News Digital.

Dr. Lama Bazzi, a New York City psychiatrist not involved in the review, said intravenous ketamine can be lifesaving for some patients in a major depressive episode. She added that the medication should be given only in monitored clinical settings. Researchers noted that the studies compared ketamine with placebo and that some participants may have recognized they received the active drug.

They also cited small sample sizes and the challenge of generalizing findings across varied study designs.