TY - JOUR
T1 - Rapid and long-lasting effects of subcutaneous esketamine on suicidality
T2 - an open-label study in patients with treatment-resistant depression
AU - Lopes, Eduardo Igor Torquato Cardoso
AU - Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, Patrícia
AU - Palhano-Fontes, Fernanda
AU - Gonçalves, Kaike Thiê da Costa
AU - Nunes, Emerson Arcoverde
AU - Lima, Nicole Bezerra de Medeiros
AU - Santos, Nestor Caetano
AU - Brito, Aldielyson Jorge Cavalcante de
AU - de Araujo, Draulio Barros
AU - Galvão-Coelho, Nicole Leite
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Therapeutics for suicide management is limited, taking weeks to work. This open-label clinical trial with 18 treatment-resistant depressive patients tested subcutaneous esketamine (8 weekly sessions) for suicidality. We noted a rapid and enduring effect of subcutaneous esketamine, lasting from one week to six months post-treatment, assessed by the Beck Inventory for Suicidality (BSI). There was an immediate drop in suicidality, 24 h following the initial dose, which persisted for seven days throughout the eight-week dosing period. Additionally, this study is the first to examine a six-month follow-up after multiple administrations of subcutaneous esketamine, finding consistently lower levels of suicidality throughout this duration. Conversely, suicidality also was measured along the 8-weeks of treatment by a psychiatrist using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which showed significant reduction only after two treatment sessions expanding until the last session. Moreover, notably, 61% of patients achieved remission on suicidality (MADRS). These results suggest that weekly subcutaneous esketamine injections offer a cost-effective approach that induces a rapid and sustained response to anti-suicide treatment. This sets the stage for further, more controlled studies to corroborate our initial observations regarding the effects of SC esketamine on suicidality.
AB - Therapeutics for suicide management is limited, taking weeks to work. This open-label clinical trial with 18 treatment-resistant depressive patients tested subcutaneous esketamine (8 weekly sessions) for suicidality. We noted a rapid and enduring effect of subcutaneous esketamine, lasting from one week to six months post-treatment, assessed by the Beck Inventory for Suicidality (BSI). There was an immediate drop in suicidality, 24 h following the initial dose, which persisted for seven days throughout the eight-week dosing period. Additionally, this study is the first to examine a six-month follow-up after multiple administrations of subcutaneous esketamine, finding consistently lower levels of suicidality throughout this duration. Conversely, suicidality also was measured along the 8-weeks of treatment by a psychiatrist using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which showed significant reduction only after two treatment sessions expanding until the last session. Moreover, notably, 61% of patients achieved remission on suicidality (MADRS). These results suggest that weekly subcutaneous esketamine injections offer a cost-effective approach that induces a rapid and sustained response to anti-suicide treatment. This sets the stage for further, more controlled studies to corroborate our initial observations regarding the effects of SC esketamine on suicidality.
KW - Esketamine
KW - Suicide
KW - Treatment-resistant depression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196292175&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.06.020
DO - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.06.020
M3 - Article
C2 - 38901389
AN - SCOPUS:85196292175
SN - 0022-3956
VL - 176
SP - 254
EP - 258
JO - Journal of Psychiatric Research
JF - Journal of Psychiatric Research
ER -