Elon Musk-backed ketamine therapy offers hope to patients with severe depression where other medication fails to help, experts claim
Ketamine is a powerful general anesthetic used to prevent humans and animals from experiencing pain during surgery.
It was used as a party drug in the late 2000s, with people taking it before raves for a more intense experience.
It is used as an anesthetic and has been in the national spotlight since the death of Elijah McClain of Colorado, who struggled with police and was injected by paramedics with a dosage suitable for someone weighing 200 pounds. He weighed 143 pounds. Colorado is now trying to limit the use of ketamine and other chemicals by first responders.
What are the side effects?
Ketamine causes loss of sensation and muscle paralysis.
It can also cause people to experience hallucinations and a distortion of reality, which many call entering the “k-hole.”
This is when people believe they have spoken to God or a higher power, which can lead to addiction because they long for that experience.
Ketamine can also make people unable to move, or lead to panic attacks, confusion and memory loss.
Regular users can seriously damage their bladder, which may require surgical removal.
Other risks include increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Muscle paralysis can cause people to hurt themselves, while not feeling the pain properly can cause them to underestimate the damage.
Many claim that ketamine withdrawal is worse than any other drug, and some feel so depressed that they consider suicide.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Samaritans here.
How is it taken and what is the law surrounding it?
For medical use, ketamine is liquid, but the “street” drug is normally a grainy, white powder.
In 1999, ketamine became a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It currently has accepted medical applications for short-term sedation and anesthesia.
In 2019, the FDA approved a version of the drug for treatment-resistant depression, which is only available at a doctor’s office or clinic.
Is illegal use of ketamine common?
In May 2023, a new report found that law enforcement agencies seized more than 1,500 pounds of ketamine in 2022 – about twelve times more than in 2017.
Tennessee, Florida and California had the most seizures of the drug. However, it is not clear whether these states have the highest usage.
Medical-grade ketamine is usually in liquid form and is often given through an IV.
But most of the illegally obtained ketamine was in powder form, meaning it risks being contaminated with other chemicals, especially fentanyl.
How many people die from ketamine use?
Exact data is difficult to come by: unlike cocaine, heroin or opioids, the CDC does not publish data on monthly and annual deaths.
The number is low, especially when compared to drugs like fentanyl, which killed nearly 74,000 people in 2022.
Source: Talk to Frank, American Drug Enforcement Association