Rapid Antidepressant Action of Ketamine in Psychiatric Patients with Suicidality - a Case Series

Rajnish Raj^1, and Raj Kumar²

¹Department of Psychiatry, Govt. Medical College & Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, INDIA

²Department of Pharmacology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital (Baba Farid University of Health Sciences), Faridkot, INDIA

Cite this paper:
Rajnish Raj and Raj Kumar. Rapid Antidepressant Action of Ketamine in Psychiatric Patients with Suicidality - a Case Series. American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine. 2014; 2(2):44-47. doi: 10.12691/ajmsm-2-2-4

Abstract

Ketamine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid antidepressant action, is a novel approach in modulating glutamate receptors for management of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. It clinically engenders meaningful advances in depression therapeutics. This case series highlights the role of low dose intravenous ketamine infusion i.e., 0.5 mg/kg dissolved in 100 ml normal saline and given over a period of 40 minutes in patients of depression who were contemplating suicide.

Keywords:
Ketamine N-methyl D-Aspartate antagonist (NMDA) major depressive disorder (MDD) mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 (eEF 2) kinase

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