Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
ketamine It is increasingly being used off-label. Treatment For DepressionBut researchers have found that it cannot provide no long term benefits,
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized depression as the leading cause of disability globallywith approximately one in six adults Moderate to severe reporting Depression symptoms In Britain.
Previous studies have shown that about a third of people with depression do not respond well to traditional antidepressants that mostly target the hormones serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline.
A recent study found that some antidepressants can cause changes in blood pressure and weight gain in the first eight weeks. According to the NHS, other side effects include loss of appetite, reduced sex drive and mood changes.
The anesthetic ketamine, given in low doses, is an option – but evidence to support the use of the drug for depression is limited.
Declan McLoughlin, professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, said: “Our initial hypothesis was that repeated ketamine administration would improve mood outcomes for people admitted to hospital with depression. However, we found that this is not the case.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin, St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland investigated the use of twice-weekly ketamine infusions as an additional treatment for patients with severe depression.
Ketamine works by blocking the action of a chemical in the nervous system that is important in causing persistent pain. According to the NHS, this reduces the amplification of messages sent to the brain telling you that you are in a lot of pain.
It has also been reported that a single injection of ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects, but these disappear within a few days. However, the study authors were hopeful that repeated administration of ketamine would yield more sustained benefits.
The randomized trial was developed to assess antidepressant safety, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life during and after serial ketamine infusions compared to the psychoactive comparison drug midazolam.
Trial participants were randomized to receive eight injections of ketamine or midazolam, given over four weeks and again after six months.
However, the researchers found that there was no significant difference between the two groups.
“Under stringent clinical trial conditions, adjunctive ketamine provided no additional benefit to routine patient care during the initial treatment phase or six-month follow-up period. Previous estimates of ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy may be overestimated, highlighting the need for recalibrated expectations in clinical practice,” said Professor McLaughlin.
The study authors noted that despite their best efforts to keep trial patients and researchers unaware of the randomized treatment, most patients correctly guessed their treatment allocation.
The study’s lead author, Dr Anna Jelowak, of Trinity College Dublin, said: “Our trial highlights the importance of reporting the success of blinding, or the lack thereof, in clinical trials. Particularly in clinical trials of treatments where blinding is difficult to maintain, such as ketamine, psychedelics, brain stimulation treatments. Such problems can lead to inflated placebo effects and skewed trial results that may lead to the actual treatment “Can increase the effects.”