A recent meta-analysis suggests that subanesthetic doses of ketamine provide rapid and sustained anxiety relief, which is noticeable within hours and persists for up to 2 weeks. Despite the promising results, this study highlights the need for further research in larger patient cohorts to solidify the evidence base. This research Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has been used in medical settings for decades. Recent studies suggest that subanesthetic doses of ketamine can produce rapid and potent antidepressant effects. Preliminary evidence suggests that ketamine may have fast-acting anxiety-reducing effects for conditions such as social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and treatment-resistant anxiety. .
“Ketamine is a classic example of an emerging class of fast-acting antidepressants,” explained study author Rice Alexander, clinical research fellow in translational psychiatry at King’s College, London. “We have new evidence that ketamine may also be useful as an anxiolytic (also known as anxiolytic). This study shows that low doses of ketamine can rapidly reduce anxiety symptoms in a variety of clinical settings. We sought to synthesize evidence from several high-quality studies to see if we could achieve sustained mitigation.”
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials. All of these trials met predefined criteria and provided data on the effects of ketamine on anxiety symptoms.
In a meta-analysis, researchers statistically combine data from multiple studies to draw an overall conclusion. In this case, the researchers pooled and analyzed the standardized mean differences in anxiety scores between the ketamine and placebo groups at different time points. By integrating data from multiple randomized controlled trials, the meta-analysis provided a more robust and comprehensive assessment of the effects of ketamine on anxiety compared to individual studies.
Researchers found that ketamine’s anxiolytic effects become noticeable relatively quickly after administration. Specifically, these effects began to appear within a few hours, typically within about 3 to 4 hours, after ketamine administration. The effects of ketamine were not just short-term, but had lasting effects. After an initial period of 3-4 hours, these effects were noticeable up to 2 weeks after ketamine administration.
“Our study suggests that the use of low doses of ketamine in appropriate clinical settings may indeed provide rapid and relatively durable reductions in anxiety symptoms. However, the evidence base remains Further studies using larger patient cohorts are needed to strengthen this,” Alexander told PsyPost.
“Interestingly, some animal studies suggest that low doses of ketamine may be less effective at relieving anxiety symptoms compared to other depression-related symptoms. Research somewhat contradicts these findings and suggests that ketamine may actually help patients with anxiety symptoms.”
Researchers also investigated the relationship between dissociation and anxiety scores. Dissociation is an altered state of consciousness in which a person feels disconnected from their thoughts, feelings, and environment. This is a known side effect of ketamine. However, Alexander and his colleagues did not find a statistically significant correlation between the degree of dissociation people experience as a result of ketamine and their anxiety scores.
So what explains the drug’s potential therapeutic effects? Ketamine may act as an NMDA receptor antagonist, causing changes in synaptic plasticity and triggering the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). there is. These neurochemical changes are thought to contribute to improved mood.
“Drugs like ketamine may be effective because they are strong inducers of neuroplasticity, meaning they make neural connections more flexible,” Alexander explained. “This is an important requirement for any new learning that may occur during treatment. Therefore, these combinations of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy may be particularly effective in improving anxiety symptoms.”
This study provides important insight into the potential of ketamine as an anxiolytic drug. However, there are some limitations that should be considered when interpreting the results. “It is also important to note the small number of patients in the individual studies included in our analysis,” Alexander said. “Additionally, we do not yet know how ketamine will be administered in clinical practice, including the frequency, optimal route of administration, and monitoring requirements.”
The study, “Transdiagnostic systematic review and meta-analysis of the anxiolytic effects of ketamine,” was authored by Hannah Hartland, Kimia Mahdavi, Luke A Jelen, Rebecca Strawbridge, Allan H Young, and Laith Alexander.
