At-Home Ketamine Therapy Shows Promise in Treatment of Anxiety, Depression

At-home, sublingual ketamine therapy was found to be a safe and effective treatment for anxiety and depression in a study co-authored by researchers from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the Cleveland Clinic, the University of California San Francisco, New York University, and Houston Methodist.

The study has been accepted by the Journal of Affective Disorders to be published in October.

Among a cohort of 1247 patients, 89% of the study participants who presented with anxiety and/or depression showed an improvement in their symptoms after 4 sessions with the sublingual ketamine therapy provided by Mindbloom. The study also found that 63% of participants reported a symptom improvement rate of greater than 50%—results that were 34% stronger than what had been observed in studies of traditional antidepressant medications and 54% stronger than results reported in studies of psychotherapy.

Additionally, study outcomes were 17% stronger than those observed in studies of ketamine infusion treatments, and 62% of patients presenting with suicide ideation prior to treatment no longer reported any suicidal ideation after 4 treatment sessions. Fewer than 5% of patients reported treatment side effects.

“This therapy compares very favorably against studies on traditional treatments like SSRI antidepressants and talk therapy,” Mindbloom Medical Director Leonardo Vando, MD, said in a news release announcing the findings. “We believe that the support provided by our clinicians and guides and the comfort of our at-home, needle-free administration method contribute to the therapy's effectiveness."

Reference

Largest-ever clinical study of ketamine therapy shows that at-home model can be a safe, effective treatment for anxiety and depression; 62% fewer patients report suicidal ideation after four sessions. News release. Mindbloom. July 18, 2022. Accessed July 21, 2022.