Ketamine
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Ketamine has been used as a general anaesthetic for more than 50 years. One reason for its popularity is that its is renowned by anaesthesiologists for not interfering with respiration when a patient is unconscious. Ketamine 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.