Combined naltrexone and ketamine reduced depressive symptoms in a small group of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to Gihyun Yoon, MD, of the department of psychiatry at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., and associates.
A total of five patients with major depressive disorder and comorbid alcohol use disorder were included in the 8-week, open-label pilot study. The patients were followed for an additional 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the clinical response, defined as a 50% or higher improvement from baseline in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale.
After the first ketamine dose, three of the five study participants met the primary outcome, and all five met the outcome after receiving all four doses. Depressive symptoms improved 57%-92% overall. In addition, four of the five patients reported improvement in alcohol craving and consumption; no adverse events were reported.
“Larger randomized clinical trials are needed to better understand whether opiate receptor stimulation contributes to the antidepressant effects of ketamine. If so, then preclinical research will be needed to help us to understand this role for opiates and its implications for future rapid-acting antidepressant treatments,” concluded Dr. Yoon and associates.
Two study authors reported conflicts of interest with numerous companies. All study authors are listed inventors on a patent application by Yale University.
SOURCE: Yoon G et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 9. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3990.