by Liz Mineo, Harvard Gazette Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Ketamine carries risks, say researchers. Yet for some patients, it’s “the only thing that works.” At the Ketamine Clinic for Depression at Massachusetts General Hospital, patients make their way each day to receive intravenous infusions of the powerful anesthetic that has become an alternative therapy for...
Tag: <span>Ketamine</span>
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Electroconvulsive therapy or ketamine? Clinical factors affect outcomes
by UT Southwestern Medical Center Treatment outcomes of ketamine vs electroconvulsive therapy (ect) stratified by less or more severe baseline depression severity. The least-squares mean from mixed-effects model analyses was plotted for both treatment groups (ECT and ketamine) based on the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) baseline depression severity thresholds of moderate...
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Trial offers hope for cheaper, more tolerable, ketamine treatment
JUNE 24, 2024 by University of Otago Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public DomainFor those suffering from treatment-resistant depression, the anesthetic drug ketamine offers hope, but it has side effects and can be costly to access—a University of Otago-led clinical trial may change that. Working in collaboration with New Zealand’s Douglas Pharmaceuticals, researchers have conducted a trial of...
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Researchers find response to ketamine depends on opioid pathways, but varies by sex
by Nina Bai, Stanford University A Stanford Medicine-led study found that blocking opioid receptors in the brain extinguished the effects of ketamine—but only in male rats. Credit: Emily Moskal/Stanford MedicineKetamine, increasingly popular as a treatment for depression and pain, is often prescribed as an alternative to addictive opioids. But the data has been mixed on whether...
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CAN KETAMINE EASE VETERANS’ SEVERE DEPRESSION?
POSTED BY KARA GAVIN-U. MICHIGAN Ketamine may give partial relief to veterans who have tried many depression treatments but still have severe symptoms, new research suggests. Ketamine has gotten a lot of attention as a potential treatment for depression, but few studies have revealed how well it works in “real world” settings, especially in patients...
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Ketamine vs Esketamine: Critical Differences Explained
Megan Brooks In recent years, media reports touting ketamine as a fast-acting, highly effective treatment for severe depression have increased. In part, this phenomenon is due to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2019 approval of ketamine’s cousin, esketamine (Spravato), the first antidepressant in a new drug class for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Yet, news...
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Ketamine vs Esketamine: Critical Differences Explained
Megan Brooks In recent years, media reports touting ketamine as a fast-acting, highly effective treatment for severe depression have increased. In part, this phenomenon is due to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2019 approval of ketamine’s cousin, esketamine (Spravato), the first antidepressant in a new drug class for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Yet, news...
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Ketamine fueled actor Matthew Perry’s death, but new study says it may help others
by Eric Williamson, University of Virginia 10 ml vial of 1000 mg ketamine. Credit: Psychonaught/WikipediaKetamine has been in the headlines recently, implicated in the high-profile death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry in October. But can the powerful drug also be helpful to those suffering from opioid addiction? A University of Virginia study shows evidence it can....
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Matthew Perry died of ‘acute effects of ketamine’—what you need to know about the drug
by Philip Crilly, The Conversation 10 ml vial of 1000 mg ketamine. Credit: Psychonaught/Wikipedia Millions of people worldwide were left devastated by the death this year of 54-year-old Matthew Perry, the “Friends” star famous for bringing wise-cracking Chandler Bing to life. A global superstar, recently sober with an autobiography on the bestseller lists, it looked like...
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Ketamine No Better for Depression Than Placebo?
Eve Bender October 30, 2023 TOPLINE: Ketamine was no more effective than placebo in reducing depressive symptoms in surgical patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), results of a new study, which contradict prior research, suggest. Although symptoms improved in both study groups, investigators say participants’ expectations of an improvement from ketamine may be driving that result. METHODOLOGY: TAKEAWAY:...