Rapid-acting antidepressant

A rapid-acting antidepressant is a type of antidepressant drug which improves symptoms of depression within minutes to hours. In contrast to rapid-acting antidepressants, conventional antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), require weeks for their antidepressant effects to manifest.

The prototypical rapid-acting antidepressant is ketamine. Other drugs with rapid-acting antidepressant effects include esketamine, arketamine, hydroxynorketamine, rapastinel (GLYX-13), NRX-1074, 4-chlorokynurenine (AV-101), and scopolamine. Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine), and the GABA_A α₅ subunit-containing receptor negative allosteric modulators L-655,708 and MRK-016, have also been found to produce rapid antidepressant-like effects, in animal models of depression. Agonists and antagonists of TrkB (the main signaling receptor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)) such as 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) and ANA-12, respectively, also produce rapid antidepressant-like effects in animal models of depression.

Relatively rapid-onset antidepressants include tianeptine and buprenorphine, which produce benefits sooner than other conventional antidepressants (e.g., after one week), though not nearly as quickly as drugs like ketamine.