Ketamine therapy shows promise for quick treatment of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder that affects as many as 1 in 7 women after childbirth, postpartum depression can lead to panic attacks, inconsolable sadness, and deep feelings of inadequacy. Some women have thoughts of harming their baby or themselves.​

In a new study, ketamine was used as an experimental drug for treating severe postpartum depression and showed some promising results in a small clinical trial.

70% of the women who took the drug in the trial experienced significant improvement in their depression within 60 hours of the injection. That effect was maintained for 30 days.

Though preliminary, the early results on postpartum depression are tantalizing. One of the drug’s most promising features: It appears to work quickly — some women in the study started experiencing relief after 24 hours. By contrast, traditional antidepressants can take weeks to begin working. The only other treatment for postpartum depression is talk therapy.