Scientists from Stanford University in the US showed that a single dose of ketamine improved depressed mood with the same probability as a placebo (salt water) infusion; which may confirm its ineffectiveness. The research was published in the journal Nature Mental Health.
Developed in the 1960s, ketamine is used in emergency departments as a rapid and safe treatment for patients experiencing pain and severe stress. Its potential as an antidepressant has been demonstrated over the past decade: The substance caused improvements in the mood of mice, even with a single dose. Some human studies have also shown that ketamine is effective in treating depression, but the evidence is inconsistent.
In a new trial to separate the mind-altering effects of ketamine from other possible effects, scientists tested it on anesthetized patients. Half were given the substance and the other half were given a saline solution without the active compound.
Neither the patient, nor the researchers, nor the medical staff knew exactly what was injected into the anesthetized person. An improvement in mood was seen in both groups within a few days after anesthesia (as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale). Previous studies on surgical patients ruled out that the improvement in depression was not due to the surgery itself or anesthesia.
Some of the patients who believed they had been injected with ketamine stated that their lives had changed and their mood had greatly improved. This misconception, and the results of the study as a whole, do not conclusively prove that ketamine is completely useless in treating depression. However, most of its effect may be due to the placebo effect.
doctors before refuted The myth about the dangers of red meat.