ABSTRACT
Two newer medications treat severe depression and suicidal ideation: ketamine and brexanolone. Both work quickly and are usually given via intravenous (IV) infusion. Esketamine, a variant of ketamine, can be delivered intranasally. Both ketamine and brexanolone affect GABA and glutamate, but in different ways. Brexanolone and esketamine were both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019. Esketamine was to treat depression and lower suicide risk in the general population, and brexanolone for postpartum depression.
