Ketamine can lift the fog of severe depression in hours, but what happens when that relief fades just as quickly? This has been the biggest hurdle in using it as a long-term solution for those battling the most persistent and treatment-resistant forms of depression.
This episode examines a brand-new 2025 study that explores the groundbreaking strategy of maintenance ketamine infusions. We unpack compelling real-world evidence from a community clinic, looking at how regular, spaced-out IV treatments could be the key to sustained wellness. The findings are significant: researchers saw lasting improvements in patients with both treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD) and—for the first time in a maintenance study—bipolar depression (TRBD).
Join us as we reveal the data on how long these benefits can last, extending the period of wellness from just one or two weeks to a median of six weeks and an average of 10-12 weeks. We also explore the critical findings on the sustained reduction in suicidal thoughts, offering a powerful beacon of hope. Finally, we provide a balanced look at the safety of long-term infusions and the unique insights and limitations of this type of real-world research. Is this the key to transforming ketamine from a temporary rescue into an enduring management tool? Listen now to explore the future of chronic depression care.
Based on this paper: Haikazian, S., McIntyre, R. S., Meshkat, S., Kratiuk, K., Llach, C.-D., Orsini, D. K., Di Luch, S. D., & Rosenblat, J. D. (2025). Real world effectiveness of maintenance ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Research, 352, 116691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116691
