Drug Comparison
For educational purposes only — a decision-support tool, not a substitute for clinical judgment.
Side-by-side rubric across 96 psychiatric medications. Every rating traces to a verbatim primary-source quote — click any cell to see it.
How to read this tool ▾
Rating scale
– Favorable / lower than class baseline
± Minimal / equivocal
+ Low / uncommon
++ Moderate / common
+++ High / very common
++++ Very high / class-outlier
Frequency vs severity
F = frequency, S = severity. Each gets its own pill colored on the same traffic-light scale: green → blue → yellow → orange → red. Click any cell for incidence percentages and NNH.
Evidence tier
A Network meta-analysis / RCT / FDA label
B Cohort / registry / pooled label data
C Expert review / textbook / case series
Sourcing
Click any cell to see the verbatim source quote and citation. Missing data shows n/a.
Data depth
++ Graded — frequency + severity, primary-source traces
+ FDA label — §6 frequency only (dashed border). Click for sub-types.
Blank — not yet checked (not “absent”)
–±++++++++++ABCF = frequency · S = severity · Dashed border = FDA label only · Click cell for details
1 drug selected — Ketamine(click to collapse)
1/4 selected
Ketamine
Ketalar · Ketaset
NMDA Receptor Antagonist · C-III
FDA-approved indications
- General anesthesia — sole agent for procedures not needing muscle relaxation
- Anesthesia induction (adjunct to other agents)
- Anesthesia supplement (adjunct to other agents)
Off-label uses
- Treatment-resistant depression
- Acute suicidality
- Chronic pain
Half-life2 to 3 hours
Decision GuideWhen to pick each / when to consider an alternative
Ketamine
Consider when
- Acute suicidal ideation requiring rapid resolution — IV ketamine shows anti-suicidal effect within hours; fastest-acting antidepressant
- Treatment-resistant depression — evidence for rapid antidepressant response (often within 24 h) after multiple failed trials
- Procedural sedation with analgesic properties — unique dissociative anesthetic with analgesic; maintains airway reflexes
- Chronic pain with comorbid depression — NMDA antagonism provides both analgesic and antidepressant effects simultaneously
- +1 more
Consider an alternative when
- Active substance use disorder — abuse potential; dissociative/psychotomimetic effects are reinforcing; not scheduled but DEA-watched
- Uncontrolled hypertension — sympathomimetic; transient BP and HR increases during infusion; monitor cardiovascular status
- History of psychosis — dissociative and psychotomimetic effects may exacerbate psychotic symptoms; avoid in active psychosis
- Standardized dosing protocol needed — no FDA-approved depression indication; dosing, frequency, and duration vary by clinic
- +1 more
| Axis | Ketamine NMDA-antagonist |
|---|---|
| Boxed Warnings | |
Abuse / addiction liability | |
Respiratory depression (opioid / CNS depressant co-use) | |
| CNS | |
Sedation / somnolence | |
Cognitive dulling / anterograde amnesia | |
| Cardiac | |
Blood pressure elevation | |
| GI | |
Nausea / GI (general) | |
| Hepatic | |
Liver enzymes / hepatotoxicity | |
| Drug-specific / distinctive axes | |
Dissociation / emergence reactions (DEFINING psychiatric-use AE) only in Ketamine | |
Urinary tract toxicity (W&P §5.7 — long-term use) only in Ketamine | |