In two people with severe depression that didn’t improve with other treatments, their symptoms got worse when their esketamine nose spray was given twice a week instead of once a week.
Claim Language
Language Strength
association
Uses association language (linked to, correlated with)
The claim uses 'was associated with', which indicates a relationship or link between two events without asserting direct causation, placing it in the 'association' category.
Context Details
Domain
medicine
Population
human
Subject
two patients with treatment-resistant depression
Action
was associated with
Target
symptom deterioration following an increase in intranasal esketamine administration frequency from once-weekly to twice-weekly
Intervention Details
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Paradoxical Depressive Response to Intranasal Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Case Series
Two people with severe depression got better at first with a nasal spray called esketamine, but got much worse when they kept using it — and felt better again when they stopped. This supports the idea that more frequent use might make things worse, not better.