Ketamine and Nitroprusside for Depression

Completed · Phase 2 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Depression

In brief

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of the medication ketamine and the medication called nitroprusside in patients with major depression. Ketamine has both good and bad effects. Some studies have shown that ketamine improves depression. However, studies have also shown that it causes strange and sometimes unpleasant sensations referred to "psychotic" or "dissociative" symptoms. An example of a psychotic symptom would be hearing or seeing something that in reality is not there. The study team would like to see if nitroprusside can prevent the reported bad effects of ketamine without blocking the reported good effects. This might make ketamine a better treatment for depression.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03102736

Run by

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

People needed

40

Starts

2017-02-14

Expected to finish

2019-06-12

Last updated by the study team

2020-07-02

Who can join

Age: 21 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Male or female patients, 21-65 years of age;
• Female individuals who are not of childbearing potential (i.e., surgically sterile, postmenopausal for at least one year) or using a medically accepted reliable means of contraception. Women using oral contraceptive medication for birth control must also be using a barrier contraceptive. Women of childbearing potential must also have a negative pregnancy test at screening and at pre-infusion;
• Participants must fulfill current DSM-5 criteria for Major Depression without psychotic features or Persistent Depressive Disorder with specifier of "with persistent major depressive episode";
• Depression is at least moderate severity, defined as a CGI-S score of ≥ 4;
• Current major depressive episode is of at least 4 weeks duration
• Each participant must have a level of understanding sufficient to agree to all tests and examinations required by the protocol and must sign an informed consent document
• Each participant must be able to identify a family member, physician, or friend who will act as an emergency contact

You may not qualify if…

• Lifetime history of psychotic features, diagnosis of schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder, or diagnosis of bipolar disorder;
• Lifetime histories of autism, mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorders, or Tourette's syndrome;
• Current diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or eating disorder (bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa);
• Subjects with DSM-V drug or alcohol abuse/dependence within the preceding 2 years;
• Patients with schizotypal or antisocial personality disorder, or any clinically significant axis II disorder that would, in the investigator's judgment, preclude safe study participation;
• Patients judged clinically to be at serious and imminent suicidal or homicidal risk;
• Women who are either pregnant or nursing;
• Any serious, unstable medical illnesses including hepatic, renal impairment, gastroenterologic, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrinologic, neurologic, immunologic, or hematologic disease;
• History of congestive heart failure or established coronary artery disease;
• History of cerebrovascular insufficiency
• History of intrapulmonary arteriovenous shunts, co-arctation of the aorta or other conditions where cardiac outflow tract is obstructed;
• Vitamin B12 deficiency;
• Clinically significant abnormal findings of laboratory parameters, physical examination, or ECG;
• Renal impairment, as reflected by a BUN > 20 mg/dL and/or creatinin clearance of >1.3 mg/dL;
• Thyroid impairment, as reflected by a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) > 4.2 mU/L;
• Hepatic injury, as reflected by AST or ALT greater than twice the upper limit of the reference range (AST: >80; ALT >110)
• Patients who have a positive urine toxicology for illicit substances at screening and within 24 hours of the infusion;
• Treatment with an irreversible MAOI within 2 weeks prior to randomization or fluoxetine within 4 weeks prior to randomization;
• Treatment with other antidepressants (classified as SSRIs, SNRIs, Atypical Antidepressants, MAOIs, TCAs) within one week of randomization.
• Previous recreational use of phencyclidine (PCP) or KET;
• Hypertension with systolic BP >160 mm Hg or diastolic BP >90 mm Hg at screening, systolic BP > 165 mm Hg or diastolic BP > 95 mm Hg immediately prior to treatment with study drug or hypotension with systolic BP < 90 or diastolic < 60 at screening or immediately prior to treatment with study drug; heart rate >110 or <60 at either of these time points;
• Treatment with sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), Avanafil (Stendra), Vardenafil (Levitra) or other drugs in the same category of phosphodiesterase-5 enzyme inhibitors within 2 weeks of infusion.

Where it is running

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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