News Excerpt:
Elon Musk sparks controversy by advocating for ketamine use, raising concerns on Wall Street about the potential risks.
About Ketamine
- Ketamine is an anaesthetic that has been listed as a hallucinogen by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
- It’s referred to as a “dissociative anaesthetic hallucinogen” because it creates a feeling of detachment from pain and the environment.
- In the US, ketamine was first used as an anaesthetic for animals in the 1960s.
- Around a decade later, the US Food and Drug Administration approved it for humans.
- The drug’s use for treating depression and other mental illnesses is recent.
- Owing to its powerful effects, ketamine is consumed by those patients who haven’t responded to traditional therapies.
- Ketamine is also used as a recreational drug, popularly known as K or Special K among clubgoers.
- Ketamine, which doctors can prescribe to alleviate pain and depression, acts as a sedative at higher doses.
- However, it also carries risks, including hallucinations and potential overdose leading to unconsciousness and slowed breathing, as per the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Ketamine is often administered in a medical environment, or its close variant, Spravato, is available as a nasal spray specifically for treatment-resistant depression.
Consumption:
- Mental illness patients usually take ketamine through an IV, nasal spray or tablet once or twice a week for six to eight weeks (some might need it for longer).
- When it comes to recreational purposes, it is consumed by snorting a white crystalline powder.
- Ketamine can also be injected or smoked.
