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. 2022 Sep 28:13:992624.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.992624. eCollection 2022.

Safety, effectiveness and tolerability of sublingual ketamine in depression and anxiety: A retrospective study of off-label, at-home use

Kazi Hassan  1 , William M Struthers  2 , Aditya Sankarabhotla  1 , Patrick Davis  3
Affiliations

Safety, effectiveness and tolerability of sublingual ketamine in depression and anxiety: A retrospective study of off-label, at-home use

Kazi Hassan et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Intravenous and intranasal ketamine have been shown to be effective therapeutic options in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The use of sublingual (SL), rapid dissolve ketamine tablets (RDT) offers a novel approach for delivery for mental health indications. This study assessed the effectiveness and safety of self-administration of off-label, SL, rapid dissolve ketamine tablets (RDT) at-home for depression and anxiety. Intake scores on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were compared to scores after treatments of three doses of ketamine RDT, and after six doses of ketamine RDT. After three doses of SL ketamine, 47.6% of patients showed a significant decrease in PHQ-9 scores, and 47.6% of patients showed a significant reduction in GAD-7 scores. Reduction rates were higher in those patients who completed a clinically recommended six doses of RDT ketamine. This study demonstrates that SL ketamine is a novel, safe, and effective treatment for TRD and treatment-resistant anxiety. SL ketamine offers an alternative therapeutic approach to IV ketamine when treating those with TRD.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; ketamine; sublingual; treatment resistant depression (TRD).

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors KH, AS, and PD hold restricted shares of Nue Life Health, P.B.C. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dataset and process flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores at baseline, after 3-RTD, and 6-RDT ketamine treatments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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