ARTICLE: Clinical Outcomes of Intravenous Ketamine Treatment for Depression in the VA Health System
This research study looked at how effective repeated infusions of ketamine, given through an IV, are for treating major depressive disorder in real-world clinical settings. They analyzed the records of patients who received these infusions in Veterans Health Administration hospitals during the 2020 fiscal year and up to a year afterward.
They found that, on average, patients had moderately severe depression at the start of treatment, despite having tried multiple antidepressant medications before. The frequency of ketamine infusions decreased gradually over the first 5 months, with most patients receiving around 18 infusions in total over a year.
After 6 weeks of treatment, about a 25% of patients saw a significant improvement in their depression symptoms, and about 15% experienced a complete remission, meaning their symptoms were almost gone. These improvements remained stable at 12 and 26 weeks.
Interestingly, they didn't find any specific factors like age, gender, or other health conditions that affected how well the ketamine worked for patients.
Overall, while ketamine infusions didn't help everyone, they did provide lasting benefits for many patients, even with less frequent infusions over time. However, more research is needed to figure out the best schedule for these infusions and whether there are any long-term side effects to watch out for.
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