Lara DR, Bisol LW, Munari LR. Antidepressant, mood stabilizing, and procognitive effects of very low dose sublingual ketamine in refractory unipolar and bipolar depression. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2013 Oct;16(9):2111-7. doi: 10.1017/S1461145713000485. Epub 2013 May 20. PMID: 23683309.
Highlights:
- According to patients’ reports, VLDS [very low dose sublingual] ketamine produced rapid, clear, and sustained effects, improving mood level and stability, cognition, and sleep in 20 patients (77%), with only mild and transient light-headedness as a common side-effect (no euphoria, psychotic or dissociative symptoms).
- According to patients’ reports, VLDS [very low dose sublingual] ketamine produced rapid, clear, and sustained effects, improving mood level and stability, cognition, and sleep in 20 patients (77%), with only mild and transient light-headedness as a common side-effect (no euphoria, psychotic or dissociative symptoms).
Results:
Out of 26 patients, 20 achieved remission or clear response for depression, mood instability, cognitive impairment, and poor sleep. Three patients had moderate or partial response and three failed to respond. Some patients or their relatives spontaneously used adjectives such as ‘sensational’, ‘amazing’, and ‘incredible’ and phrases such as ‘I am back to life again’ and ‘the best night of sleep in years’ to describe the observed effects. Many reported to feel potent and confident again but without the feeling of being under the effects of psychostimulants. No manic, psychotic, or dissociative symptoms were observed, but two bipolar patients reported agitation for a few hours. Mild light-headedness was a common but transient side-effect, subsiding typically in <30 min and more pronounced or present only after the first dose.
