The Story of KETAMINE

Here’s the short version:

Ketamine, which has garnered a lot of attention recently as a novel antidepressant that promises to provide quick relief from depression (and possibly suicidal ideations), began as an Vietnam-era combat anesthetic. It had a particular advantage over the existing anesthetic agents at the time, that it did not cause respiratory suppression and hence was a “safe anesthetic”. Unfortunately, some people started using it as a “party drug” for its dissociative effects (“k-hole”) where one completely feels dissociated/disconnected from the world around them and it got classified as a drug of abuse. It continues to be used as an anesthetic and a horse tranquilizer. Some researchers at Yale University, who were experimenting with it as a drug to induce and study schizophrenia, realized that the drug has some mood enhancing properties. This led to further research, exploration, clinical trials and an FDA-approved version named Spravato (Esketamine). So how does it work for depression? We don’t know exactly but there are many theories, the most popular involves repairing nerve pathways and memory connections.

If you are interested in the long version of the story from the original author, click here. And if you are curious to know how it feels to get Ketamine therapy, click here.

And so you know, at TOCDOC, we do offer the Ketamine treatment for Treatment-resistant Depression. Click here to schedule your Ketamine Consultation Visit soon.