Although it's been around for quite sometime, Ketamine is once more in the news. National Public Radio reported recently that yet another study is underway, indicating its possible use as a quick fix for depression.
The numbers are staggering; an estimated 120 million people worldwide are suffering from depression. According to the World Health Organization, depression is the fourth largest contributor to global disease. It is estimated that, each year, globally, 850,000 depressed people kill themselves. The drug Ketamine holds promise of a solution.
Ketamine's History and Abuses
In 1965, Ketamine was developed and used as an anesthetic. However, because of its hallucinogenic properties, it is generally no longer used to anaesthetize humans, but is still used on animals. Because of its hallucinogenic properties, it was thought to mirror schizophrenia. So, like LSD, in the 1960s, it was used in psychiatric research.
It is a colorless, tasteless and odorless drug that puts the person who has ingested it into a state of defenselessness. These properties make it a dangerous drug used in date rape. Additionally, because it’s cheap and has hallucinogenic properties, it is sold as a street drug called, among other names, Special K, Super K and Vitamin K. Like most street drugs, it is extremely addictive.
As harmful as Ketamine can be, preliminary research, over the years, indicates it could be a miracle drug when it comes to alleviating severe depression.
Ketamine as a Possible Remedy for Depression
Conventional treatments for depression, including, Prozac, Lustral and Electroconvulsive Therapy, take weeks to relieve symptoms. Ketamine takes only a few hours. Another difficulty with conventional antidepressants is that the first medications prescribed don't work in 70 percent of patients. It can take a very long time to find the right drug, combination of drugs, or correct dosage. Meanwhile, the patient suffers and some are at risk of suicide.
No one knows exactly why Ketamine works to ease depression, but researchers have been working on an answer since the late 1990s. In 2007, the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) conducted one of the most publicized research studies.
Seventeen patients, who had not responded to conventional medical treatment for depression, were given two injections. At the beginning of the first week, half the patients were injected with Ketamine and the other half with a placebo. At the start of the second week, the procedure was reversed with those who had first received the placebo being injected with Ketamin and vice versa. At the end of a two-week period, twelve of the seventeen patients reported an almost instant lifting of their depression when Ketamine was administered.
Every antidepressant drug induces high levels of peptides, which are the building blocks of protein needed to encourage nerve growth. It's hypothesized that stress leads to nerve damage, which causes depression. It takes time to rebuild damaged nerves; hence, it can take weeks for an antidepressant to take effect.
Ketamine does not build protein, what it may do is manipulate the neurotransmitter glutamate, correcting an abnormality. Whatever it does, so far studies have all concluded that it quickly and effectively relieves depression in some patients, where nothing else worked.
Whether or not it will ever become a common remedy for depression remains to be seen, and doubtful because of its dangerous side effects, such as bizarre thoughts and hallucinations, confusion, memory loss, delirium, heart palpitations, elevated blood pressure, and addictive properties.
How Ketamine Might be Used
However, it holds promise as a jump-start until more conventional antidepressants have time to work. Another possibility is that information gleaned from researching Keratine may lead to the development of more effective antidepressants. Another suggestion is that it could be an effective drug used in emergency room situations, to help patients at high risk of suicide.
Sometimes depression is the normal reaction to life's events, and you can choose to tough it out, or make lifestyles changes, which could help your depression. Nevertheless, depression isn't always a reaction to environmental situations. It can be a crippling illness where medical intervention is required. Unfortunately, medicine has a long way to go to finding a one pill fits all quick fix solution. Ketamine holds some promise toward this end.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a mental health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her physical or mental health should contact a qualified professional for advice.
Sources
- "Could a Club Drug Offer ‘Almost Immediate Relief’ From Depression?"; NPR; Jon Hamilton; January 30, 2012.
- “Ketamine’s antidepressant effect explained”; Science News; Laura Sanders; 16 July 2011.
- “Tackling depression with ketamine”; New Scientist; Maia Szalavitz; Ketamine.com; 20 Jan 2007.
- “Ketamine is a ‘magic drug’ for depression”; The Telegraph; Richard Alleyne; 19 Aug 2010.
- “Ketamine relieves depression within hours”; New Scientist; Roxanne Khamsi; 08 Aug 2006.
- “Party, Club, and Predatory Drugs”; University of Texas at Austin, Healthy Horns; Accessed February 02, 2012.
- “UT Southwestern researchers uncover why ketamine produces a fast antidepressant response”; Southwestern Medical Center; LaKisha Ladson; 16 Jun 2011.
Oreen Scott - After twenty-two years in the newspaper business, three years ago Oreen sold her house, car and almost everything she owned. A Canadian by ...
