None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Depression is a common mental illness, and it is one of the leading causes of disease burden worldwide. Fortunately, there are many effective treatments available for depression, including lifestyle changes, psychological treatments, and medications such as antidepressants. However, not all patients will respond to the first treatment prescribed. Some patients may only experience a 'partial response', where a few treatments help their depression somewhat, but they do not achieve a full recovery. Currently, the reasons why some patients do not respond, or only experience a partial response to an antidepressant, is not fully understood. Recently, researchers have been investigating new medications that may help patients recover from depression. One of these new medications is Esketamine, which is a relatively new molecule derived from a drug called Ketamine - an anaesthetic that has been used medically for decades. Researchers have been investigating the antidepressant properties of Ketamine for a long time. It is thought that Ketamine, and its derivative, Esketamine, help to treat depression for a number of reasons. However, it is not yet known which patients benefit most from Esketamine when used in conjunction with conventional antidepressants. In addition, we do not yet understand how the effect of Esketamine is impacted by other treatments that a patient may be taking for their depression. Finally, it has not yet been investigated how patients with a partial response to an antidepressant will benefit from adding Esketamine to their therapeutic regimen without switching to a new baseline antidepressant. Therefore, there are two principle aims of this study 1) to investigate whether Esketamine is effective when added to ongoing antidepressant treatment and 2) to identify patient characteristics that will determine a therapeutic response to Esketamine in real-world practice. In patients that improve with the addition of Esketamine to their current antidepressant treatment, we hypothesize that their improvement will be determined by their personal characteristics and/or the type of treatment they are already receiving.
Interventions
This is an uncontrolled, single arm, naturalistic study. There will be three treatment phases: Phase 1 - Acute treatment phase (weeks 1-4); Phase 2 - Maintenance treatment phase (weeks 5-8); Phase 3 - Continuation treatment phase (Weeks 9-25). Phase 1 is the critical component of our study as it determines our primary outcomes.
Name of drug: esketamine
Dose: initial first dose is 56mg; subsequent doses will be 56mg or 84mg
Duration: twice weekly for weeks 1-4; once weekly for weeks (5-8); once w
This is an uncontrolled, single arm, naturalistic study. There will be three treatment phases: Phase 1 - Acute treatment phase (weeks 1-4); Phase 2 - Maintenance treatment phase (weeks 5-8); Phase 3 - Continuation treatment phase (Weeks 9-25). Phase 1 is the critical component of our study as it determines our primary outcomes. Name of drug: esketamine Dose: initial first dose is 56mg; subsequent doses will be 56mg or 84mg Duration: twice weekly for weeks 1-4; once weekly for weeks (5-8); once weekly/once fortnightly/once monthly as clinically indicated for weeks (9-25). After each treatment phase, participants will be re-assessed through a comprehensive battery of assessments and dose adjustments will be performed by the study psychiatrist based on tolerability, treatment response, and ongoing consent. Mode of administration: intranasal spray; self-administration with direct supervision Adherence to intervention: The intervention is dispensed and provided within the CADE clinic; therefore, participants' attendance at the clinic is required
Sponsors
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Be an adult aged 18-65 years old 2. Have a primary diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) ***Please note: a co-morbid diagnosis of an anxiety disorder or ADHD can be included*** 3. Be currently depressed and on medication for current episode 4. Have experienced an inadequate response to 2 or more courses of antidepressants (of adequate dose and duration) 5. Be maintained on their current antidepressant medication or psychological therapy at the time of enrolment 6. Able to understand and able to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
1. Concurrent diagnoses - Participants with DSM-5 disorders e.g., current substance misuse disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia - Participants who are unable to understand the study and therefore unable to provide informed consent 2. Pregnancy - Participants who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding - Participants who are not willing to avoid pregnancy for themselves or their partners during the study by using effective birth control methods 3. Current medications - Participants taking a total daily dose of benzodiazepines greater than the equivalent of 6mg/day of lorazepam - Participants on complementary and alternative medicine therapies i.e., St John’s wort, Chinese medicines, and various herbal and homeopathic treatments 4. Stimulants - Participants taking stimulants such as methylphenidate, amphetamine, and dextroamphetamine for a diagnosis such as ADHD can still have Esketamine provided they do not continue taking stimulants concurrently for the duration of the study. - Concurrent use is excluded due to the synergistic effect with Esketamine that can cause increased blood pressure. 5. Medical history - Participants with current or past history of seizures (uncomplicated childhood febrile seizures with no sequelae are not exclusionary) - Participants with a history of uncontrolled hypertension - Participants with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus - Participants with aneurysmal vascular disease including thoracic and abdominal aorta, intracranial and peripheral arterial vessels, or arteriovenous malformation, intracerebral haemorrhage - Participants with untreated glaucoma, current penetrating or perforating eye injury, brain injury, hypertensive encephalopathy, intrathecal therapy with ventricular shunts, or any other condition associated with increased intracranial pressure or increased intraocular pressure or planned eye surgery - Participants who are currently receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or have received ECT in the past month 6. Substance Misuse History - Participants who have ever had a substance misuse disorder involving any of the following over their lifetime: ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamhetamine (MDMA), or other hallucinogen use history - Participants with hypersensitivity to Esketamine, Ketamine, or any of the excipients
Outcome results
None listed