Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial

Murrough JW, Iosifescu DV, Chang LC, et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry, 2013

This two-site randomized controlled trial tested a single intravenous ketamine infusion in 73 adults with treatment-resistant major depression. To make the comparison fairer, the control group received midazolam, an anesthetic that produces noticeable effects of its own, so participants were less able to guess which drug they had. In this study, depression scores 24 hours after the infusion were about 8 points lower on average in the ketamine group, and 64% of the ketamine group responded compared with 28% of the midazolam group. The authors themselves note an important limitation: more information on how long the response lasts, and on longer-term tolerability, was needed before routine clinical use.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.