History of episodic heavy alcohol use predicts antidepressant effectiveness of ketamine

Antidepressant response to ketamine is greatest in patients with a family history of alcohol use disorder (AUD), but it remains unclear if this trend holds true for a personal history of alcohol use.

We hypothesized that a personal history of episodic heavy drinking would positively correlate with antidepressant response to ketamine.

In a retrospective cohort study, patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) received intravenous ketamine. To assess specificity, patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at the same center were also studied. Depression was quantified using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (Self-Report) (QIDS-SR), And alcohol use was quantified using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test question 3 (AUDIT-3).

Of 225 patients evaluated for ketamine, 178 completed the AUDIT-3 And completed the initial course of three treatments. Of 2577 that received ECT, 1851 received at least 10 treatments. Across both groups, patients were between age 16 And 90. With ketamine, history of past-year episodic heavy drinking was associated with greater improvement in QIDS-SR with a significant Group x Time interaction after the first three treatments (F(12,502) = 2.25, p = 0.0089), four treatments (F(16,632) = 2.56, p = 0.0007), and five treatments (F(20,757) = 2.22, p = 0.0016). This effect was not seen with ECT after 5 treatments (F(4,2283) = 0.91, p = 0.46), 10 treatments (F(8,3939) = 1.63, p = 0.11), or 20 treatments (F(16,7154) = 1.50, p = 0.09). There was An interaction after 15 treatments (F(12,5113) = 1.93, p = 0.027), although this did not survive multiple comparisons correction.

In patients with trMDD, history of episodic heavy drinking predicted antidepressant effectiveness of ketamine, but not ECT. These results may assist in patient selection for ECT vs. ketamine.