What is ketamine?
Ketamine was invented in 1962 in the search for alternatives to PCP by Calvin Stevens at Parke Davis Lab. In 1965 it was discovered that it can be used as an anesthetic for humans and animals. It gives a so-called dissociative analgesia: the patient appears awake, but does not respond to pain stimuli.
Medical use
Ketamine is used in children and older people because it is in relation to other anaesthetics suppresses breathing much less. Because at reeling from the anesthetic also hallucinogenic phenomena may occur it is often along with a benzodiazepine administered to prevent or suppress hallucinations. Ketaval is often used in veterinary medicine, a combination of the benzodiazepine diazepam (valium) and ketamine. Ketamine is in Netherlands in trade for human use under the name Ketanest S.
New research
Since 2000, ketamine is of interest because of the antidepressant effect. End-stage patients received ketamine by infusion. In two thirds of the patients halved the symptoms in 50% of subjects, this effect held a week. Particularly was that the anti-depressant effect occurred already after two hours, this in contrast to almost all other antidepressants where one has to wait for a number of weeks effect. Ketamine is changing the impulse conduction through the NMDA receptor. Meanwhile a modest amount of evidence that shows that this receptor plays a role in depression. There is mainstream medicine attention ketamine as an antidepressant, and for other substances with similar effect on the NMDA receptor.
Recreational use
At doses lower than those used for anesthetic ketamine is also used as a drug, it is then called Special K, or Keta. Ketamine is usually snorted, but some users take it orally, rectally, or spraying it on. In order to be able to sniff the agent is a medical ketamineoplossing, intended for injection, or boiled evaporated until a crystalline powder remains. Lower doses of the user dreamy, while higher doses may result in a K-hole, whereby the user is hardly conscious of his environment and difficult or can not move. Low doses of ketamine also be used as drug-party, wherein the light dreaminess and attenuation of physical stimuli to the user's allow more in the music on. Higher doses are psychedelic in nature and require the user to lie because movements, balance and sense of touch are greatly disturbed by the narcotic properties of the substance. The substance is therefore classified as a dissociative psychedelic because the user disconnects from the observations of his body.
If ketamine is injected, this is often done intramuscularly: the effect is milder and more gradual than intravenous administration. Upon intravenous injection, the user is often in the K-Hole before he can remove the needle, which risks entails. The K-Hole is described as a transcendental dream world which some users say they can meet God or entities. The description of a K-hole is very similar to that of a near-death. This can be a very intense and frightening experience.
The effects of ketamine have been short-lived, wherein the shortest injection and oral ingestion is the best, with a maximum of a few hours. Ketamine is one of the few psychedelic drugs that can cause addiction.
Ketamine side effects
Regular ketamine use can lead to memory functions less well. This side effects may persist for at least three days after the last use. Or a period of abstinence (abstinence) leads to recovery of memory functions to be examined. During a K-hole experience the memory is severely disrupted. Shows that the simultaneously by experiments with mice using ketamine with cocaine and / or methamphetamine for the brains is harmful. About a third of regular users develop physical symptoms; especially severe abdominal pain ("K-twitch") and a sense of cystitis.