Ketamine
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Ketamine has been used as a general anaesthetic for more than 50 years. It is renowned by anaesthesiologists as it does not interfere with respiration when the patient is unconscious. The medicine has recently garnered prominence as a therapeutic agent used in the treatment of depression[1].
Effects
Ketamine has been shown to cause:
- Dissociation with some patients reporting Out of Body Experiences
- Effects similar to those experienced during Near Death Experiences.
- Neurocognitive changes similar to the effects of stroboscopics.
Abuse
Like any drug, overuse is linked to negative effects. It has been found that chronic, uncontrolled use may lead to ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis and neurocognitive impairment which can impact negatively upon achievement in education and at work, and also compound addiction problems.[2]
- ↑ Zhang K, Hashimoto K. An update on ketamine and its two enantiomers as rapid-acting antidepressants. Expert Rev Neurother. 2019 Jan;19(1):83-92. doi: 10.1080/14737175.2019.1554434. Epub 2018 Dec 4. PMID: 30513009.
- ↑ Morgan CJ, Curran HV; Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Ketamine use: a review. Addiction. 2012 Jan;107(1):27-38. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03576.x. Epub 2011 Jul 22. PMID: 21777321.