LAUSR

BACKGROUND Although multiple studies and meta-analyses have documented the rapid antidepressive efficacy of ketamine, there are numerous questions regarding the practical use in the clinical routine that are still unanswered. OBJECTIVE Based on personal clinical experience, by comparison and supplementation of the current data situation, answers are given to questions regarding the practical use of ketamine for depression that have not yet been satisfactorily clarified. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical experiences with antidepressive treatment using ketamine over more than 5 years were evaluated with respect to the questions at hand. This was followed by a qualitative comparison of these results with those of a narrative literature search. RESULTS A total of 72 patients (unipolar depression n = 53, bipolar depression n = 16, schizoaffective depression n = 3) were included in the analysis of this cohort. A statistically significant reduction of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation after S-ketamine treatment was found. Of the patients 61% suffered from at least one secondary diagnosis. A dose of 0.5 mg/kg body weight of S‑ketamine at a frequency of three times per week was shown to be effective. The treatment appears to be safe with respect to urotoxic side effects, combination treatment with tranylcypromine and in comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION Ketamine appears to be a safe and effective option for the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression.