Scientists find no long-term benefit of using Ketamine to treat depression
Trial challenges efficacy of treating depression with ketamine
- A recent study investigated the long-term efficacy of ketamine as an add-on treatment for inpatients with severe depression.
- Researchers from Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, and Queen’s University Belfast conducted a randomised trial comparing twice-weekly ketamine infusions to a psychoactive comparison drug, midazolam.
- The study found no significant difference in mood outcomes between patients receiving ketamine and those receiving midazolam over a six-month follow-up period.
- Professor Declan McLoughlin said that repeated ketamine infusions offered no additional benefit to routine inpatient care, suggesting previous estimates of its antidepressant efficacy may have been overstated.
- The trial also highlighted issues with blinding, as most patients correctly guessed their treatment, which could lead to enhanced placebo effects and potentially skewed results in such studies.