Ketamine: The Speedy Antidepressant?

Ketamine, a general anaesthetic and animal tranquilizer, has long been known as an illicit street drug. New research suggests this drug has antidepressant properties. Subjects diagnosed with major depression received an intravenous infusion of either placebo or ketamine hydrochloride, and were tested at baseline, 40, 80, 110, 230 minutes, and 7 days afterward. Within 110 minutes of receiving the injection, alleviation of depressive symptoms was significant in the group receiving ketamine compared to the placebo-control group. On the day following injection, 71% of the group treated with ketamine had improved symptoms, and 29% met criteria for remission. 35% of participants had sustained response at the 7-Pday assessment. Prescribing ketamine to depressed patients, however, is improbable due to its hallucinogenic qualities. This study was published in Archives of General Psychiatry. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/8/856