Ketamine metabolite could inspire fast-acting antidepressants

Ketamine offers psychiatrists something that conventional antidepressants lack: speed. Most patients take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac or Zoloft for weeks to months before they feel any improvement. But a single dose of ketamine can act within hours.

Unfortunately, the compound, used for decades as an anesthetic, comes with some downsides, including the potential for abuse as a psychedelic . . .