Current treatment for serious depression is unsatisfactory, and many patients fail to achieve the desired effect. Ketamine represents a new treatment option, and randomised trials show a rapid effect of intravenous ketamine. Although knowledge about adverse effects and the duration of the effect is somewhat deficient, we believe that the time has come to start clinical treatment in Norway.
Several treatment options for depression are currently available, both pharmacological and psychological, but severe depression is difficult to treat, and a considerable proportion of patients fail to achieve remission. New treatment options are therefore urgently needed. Ketamine is a well-known anaesthetic that in a number of studies has proven to have a fast-acting antidepressant effect with acceptable adverse effects, although its durability needs to be clarified (1). A nasal spray containing the enantiomer esketamine was recently approved for use against treatment-resistant depression. More knowledge is needed on both the duration of the effect and the adverse effects (1), but many patients with severe depression might still benefit from ketamine. A pilot project has therefore been initiated at Østfold Hospital, and we propose that coordinated clinical treatment be undertaken in Norway.....more
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