What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain
Health Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world. March 05, 2025 Last month, during Elon Musk’s appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, as he hoisted a chain saw in the air, stumbled over some of his words, and questioned whether there was really gold stored in Fort Knox, people on his social-media platform, X, started posting about ketamine. Musk has said he uses ketamine regularly, so for the past couple of years, public speculation has
Read in The Atlantic: https://apple.news/AgPLWEpKIQMq_xaoX6DmByw
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the functional group referred to as ketimine, see Imine.
Ketamine
Legal status
- AU: S8 (Controlled drug)
- BR: Class C1 (Other controlled substances)
- CA: Schedule I
- DE: Anlage III (Special prescription form required)
- UK: Class B
- US: Schedule III
- UN: Unscheduled
- In general Rx-only
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a treatment for depression and in pain management.[19] Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist which accounts for most of its psychoactive effects.[20]
At anesthetic doses, ketamine induces a state of dissociative anesthesia, a trance-like state providing pain relief, sedation, and amnesia.[21] Its distinguishing features as an anesthestic are preserved breathing and airway reflexes, stimulated heart function with increased blood pressure, and moderate bronchodilation.[21] At lower, sub-anesthetic doses, it is a promising agent for treatment of pain and treatment-resistant depression.[22] As with many antidepressants, the results of a single administration wane with time.[23]
Ketamine is used as a recreational drug for its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects.[24] When used recreationally, it is found both in crystalline powder and liquid form, and is often referred to by users as "Special K" or simply "K". The long-term effects of repeated use are largely unknown and are an area of active investigation.[25][26][27] Liver and urinary toxicity have been reported among regular users of high doses of ketamine for recreational purposes.[28]
Ketamine was first synthesized in 1962, derived from phencyclidine in pursuit of a safer anesthetic with fewer hallucinogenic effects.[29][30] It was approved for use in the United States in 1970.[19] It has been regularly used in veterinary medicine and was extensively used for surgical anesthesia in the Vietnam War.[31] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[32] It is available as a generic medication.[33]
