EClinicalMedicine
August 1, 2023
Stevan Nikolin, Anthony Rodgers, Andreas Schwaab et al.
166 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 49 randomized controlled trials with 3,299 participants found that racemic ketamine produced larger reductions in depression severity than esketamine, both immediately after the first dose and during repeated dosing. Higher doses were more effective than lower doses. After the final dose, only racemic ketamine maintained a significant effect; esketamine did not. Dropout rates were similar between treatment and control conditions.
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
March 9, 2022
Anees Bahji, Carlos A. Zarate, Gustavo H. Vazquez
71 citations
Ketamine and esketamine are effective, safe, and acceptable treatments for depression. A meta-analysis of 36 randomized controlled trials (2,903 participants, 57% female, average age 45 years) found that treatment with either form of ketamine improved response (2.14 times more likely), remission (1.64 times more likely), and depression severity compared to placebo. There was no difference in treatment retention, dropouts due to adverse events, or overall number of adverse events between ketamine and placebo.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
November 15, 2023
Anees Bahji, Isis Lunsky, Gilmar Gutierrez et al.
21 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies found that psychedelic-assisted therapies—psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ayahuasca—were well tolerated and produced large reductions in depression symptoms across various diagnoses. Psilocybin showed a large effect (standardized mean difference -1.92) and MDMA a moderate-to-large effect (standardized mean difference -0.71). However, the certainty of the evidence was low to very low due to small sample sizes, blinding issues, study heterogeneity, and publication bias. The results are promising but highlight the need for larger, more rigorous studies.