Effect of ketamine on anxiety: findings from the Ketamine for Adult Depression Study.
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science January 7, 2025 Natalie T Mills, Stevan Nikolin, Nick Glozier et al. 3 citations
Anxiety disorders and treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD) often occur together. In a randomized controlled trial comparing subcutaneous ketamine to midazolam in 174 people with TRD, ketamine reduced anxiety only when given at flexible, response-guided doses (0.5-0.9 mg/kg). At a fixed low dose (0.5 mg/kg), the reduction in anxiety was not statistically significant. The anxiety-reducing effect was linked to overall depression improvement and was not sustained four weeks after treatment ended. The findings suggest that adequate dosing is necessary for ketamine's anxiolytic effect in this population.