ketamine for depression The FDA has approved ketamine for general anesthesia only, but the drug has some off-label uses. Details are below.
Inducing general anesthesia
Doctors use ketamine to induce general anesthesia alone or with other general anesthetics, such as nitrous oxide. They use it in the emergency department setting to produce short-term sedation whenTrusted Source:
- reducing fractures
- treating joint dislocations
- repairing wounds in uncooperative individuals, such as children
Treating pain
Practitioners use low doses that do not produce dissociation to relieve severe pain from the followingTrusted Source conditions:
- trauma
- fractures
- abdominal pain
- arm or leg pain
- low back pain
Treating status epilepticus/ketamine for depression
Status epilepticus is when a person has a seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes or has more than one seizure within 5 minutes.
Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is a form of status epilepticus that does not respond to standard antiseizure drugs. It is a severe disease that can cause brain damage and death.
Treating depression
Research has found that ketamine can quickly relieve depression in people who do not respond well to other treatment.
The authors of a 2023 review of studies suggested that the type of ketamine and the right dose are key factors influencing how well it works as a treatment for depression. They also noted that higher doses of ketamine appear to help reduce depression symptoms at all stages of treatment.
Treating anxiety
Research into the use of ketamine for anxiety is scarce, but there is evidence that it has fast-acting, anxiety-relieving effects. A 2022 review noted that studies use such varied protocols for treating anxiety with ketamine that it is difficult to draw clear conclusions about its effects.
However, the authors did highlight that the anxiety-relieving effects of ketamine are temporary, with symptoms often returning around 2 weeks after taking it.
More research into treating anxiety with ketamine is necessary.
