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Date of Graduation
12-12-2025
Semester of Graduation
Fall
Abstract
Objective: Assess the efficacy and safety of oral ketamine as alternative therapy for those with treatment resistant depression (TRD). Design: Literature review. Methods: On November 14, 2024, a search was done in Pubmed and James Madison University’s EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection for the terms “ketamine” and “treatment resistant depression,” excluding parenteral routes of administration and including only randomized controlled trials in adults published in 2018-2024. Results: Three randomized controlled trials that utilized evidence-based surveys to assess antidepressant effects were analyzed. Conclusion: The antidepressant effects of oral ketamine found in these RCTs were somewhat mixed. Oral ketamine did appear to significantly decrease depressive symptoms in those with TRD at higher doses. The adverse effects of the drug were found to be relatively mild and transient suggesting a good safety profile. Overall, more research is needed to determine the efficacy and safety of oral ketamine for the treatment of TRD, as the limited RCTs found were small in sample size.
Recommended Citation
1. McIntyre RS, Alsuwaidan M, Baune BT, et al. Treatment‐resistant depression: definition, prevalence, detection, management, and investigational interventions. World Psychiatry. 2023;22(3):394-412. doi:10.1002/wps.21120 2. Smith-Apeldoorn SY, Veraart JKE, Kamphuis J, et al. Oral esketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with open-label extension. Mol Psychiatry. Published online March 25, 2024. doi:10.1038/s41380-024-02478-9 3. Glue P, Loo C, Fam J, et al. Extended-release ketamine tablets for treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial. Nat Med. 2024;30(7):2004-2009. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03063-x 4. Domany Y, Bleich-Cohen M, Tarrasch R, et al. Repeated oral ketamine for out-patient treatment of resistant depression: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study. Br J Psychiatry. 2019;214(1):20-26. doi:10.1192/bjp.2018.196
