Clinical researchers have unearthed startling findings regarding the medicinal values of the regulated Class B party drug and equine tranquilliser, ketamine; discovering its potential to treat depression “within days” while manifesting limited side effects. Most anti-depressants take weeks to take effect, while having a series of unpleasant side effects, but a small dose of “special K” could one day be just what the doctor ordered.
This phase two trial bolsters an expanding body of research delving into the recreational and veterinary drug’s application as an anti-depressant. The trial involved administrating moderate 120mg and 180mg doses of Ketamine in pill form to 168 subjects, facilitating at-home intake due to its slow-release nature – a major change from the present norm of two hours of close observation in a clinical setting.
The study, published in Nature, concluded that the slow-release variant of the compound effectively mitigates depression across all age and gender demographics, though it appeared more beneficial for women and younger individuals partaking in the trial. Adding to a growing body of research of the Class B substance’s medicinal utilities, researchers found that many patients had a better response to higher doses.
Subjects took these doses on a daily basis for a duration extending up to 12 weeks, with their mental well-being regularly evaluated. Across varying demographics, candidates receiving the 24-hour release Ketamine experienced a reduction in their depression scores by approximately 20 to 30 per cent, with a significant number continuing to bear residual benefits even beyond cessation of the dosage regimen.
Dr. Pamela Walters, a medical director and psychiatrist at a ketamine-assisted psychedelic clinic in Scotland, shared insights with Medical News Today on the drug’s potential: “Traditional medications often take weeks to start working, and there’s usually a period where it ‘gets worse’ before it gets better,” she said. “With ketamine, it can relieve depressive symptoms within hours to days.”
She also noted that common side effects include headaches, dizziness, anxiety, nausea, and “feeling abnormal.”
Researchers have observed that ketamine’s negative side effects are lessened due to its different mode of administration, and importantly, no damage to patients’ internal organs was detected.
Despite clinical studies suggesting ketamine’s efficacy in treating depression, its unregulated use recreationally is linked to severe and lasting harm to the bladder and other internal organs, underlining the need for further research before widespread prescription.
Ketamine’s side effects are:
- Elevated blood pressure
- Elevated pulse (tachycardia)
- Bladder dysfunction
- Liver damage
- Nerve damage
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Anxiety
- Dissociation
David Merrill, MD, PhD, a geriatric psychiatrist and director of neuroscience at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, not involved in the study, spoke to MNT about how ketamine tackles depression: “Ketamine acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which leads to a cascade of neurochemical events in the brain,” he detailed.
By interacting with NMDA receptors, “it increases glutamate transmission and promotes synaptic plasticity, which are believed to rapidly alleviate depressive symptoms.”
The medication might also operate through different pathways. Merrill informed MNT that it impacts the brain’s default mode network a region active when the brain is at rest but awake and diminishes inflammation, potentially aiding symptom reduction.
“It may also increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain. Something which has also been shown with electroconvulsive therapy.”