Esketamine vs. Ketamine Safety in Depression

Jan 1, 2025 · Published in: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Background Information

Esketamine might be safer than ketamine for depression relief.

Ketamine and esketamine provide rapid relief for major depressive disorder (MDD), but safety comparisons were previously unclear. Ketamine shows more adverse events with a number needed to harm (NNH) of 12 for dropouts and 2 for adverse events compared to placebo. Esketamine has higher NNH values, suggesting a potential safety edge. Esketamine may offer a tolerability advantage over ketamine for short-term MDD treatment, but direct comparisons are needed. Esketamine may be safer than ketamine for short-term MDD treatment but requires head-to-head trials.

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Authors: Guo H, Tang L, He M, Tang W, Liu J, Wu S, Yuan S, Wang J, Tang X

Citation: Guo H, Tang L, He M, et al. Comparative safety and tolerability of ketamine and esketamine for major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2025;16:1681060. doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1681060

Article Links: PubMed · Journal / DOI · Free Full Text (PMC)

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The deep analysis for this article is pending full-text access. We only publish a full clinical breakdown once we have the complete paper, not just the abstract. The PubMed abstract is linked above in the meantime.