A cheap version of ketamine commonly used as a sedative might help some people with hard-to-treat depression, new research has found, raising hopes that the off-label treatment could become cheaper for patients who need it.
One of the experts involved in the research, UNSW professor of psychiatry Colleen Loo, said it was a "huge difference". Participants went through a month of twice-weekly injections, then were followed up by researchers to see how their depression was tracking. More than 20 years ago, a study showed, by chance, that ketamine could have a "transformative benefit" for people with severe depression, Professor Rodgers said.
About one-quarter of the study participants had previously undergone ECT — a treatment that pumps electricity through the brain to essentially jolt someone out of their depression — and still had no relief from their symptoms.Professor Loo said ketamine was a powerful drug with complex effects. University of South Australia researcher Michael Musker, who wasn't involved in the trial, said the research "shows promising outcomes for people whose symptoms are harder to treat".