People with drug addictions involving ketamine can be treated using an array of evidence-based or holistic therapies. Other users report this experience as comparable to a bad LSD trip. This can be dangerous as people in the K-hole may behave recklessly. They may also suffer from accidents while under the influence of the drug.
They have found that it can help in treatments for cocaine addiction. Other reports claim it can also be effective for non-drug addictions and other mental illnesses. Ketamine is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of major depression disorder.
Risks and Side Effects Associated with Ketamine Therapy
Some people have an almost complete sensory detachment that they compare to a near-death experience. While ketamine is safe to use in controlled medical practice, it becomes hazardous if someone takes it for recreational use as it may result in potentially life-threatening adverse effects. Cessation of Ketamine use can trigger emotional withdrawal symptoms, including depression, irritability, ketamine addiction insomnia; tension, twitchiness, short attention-span; restlessness and binge behavior. Ketamine comes as a liquid or a powder; as a powder, it can be insufflated (inhaled), injected, or taken orally. Heavy Ketamine users exclusively use intramuscular injection as their primary method of administration because it bypasses the liver, works more efficiently and induces a smoother high.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can assist with changing the thought patterns that play a role in supporting drug use and addiction. As a Schedule III drug, ketamine is available for medicinal use with a prescription. It is sometimes used off-label for pain relief and can provide sedative effects.
How Ketamine is Used In Treating Addiction?
Ketamine is a low-cost anesthetic that can be used as an alternative to more expensive types of general anesthesia. It’s primarily found in medical settings as an intravenous (IV) anesthetic injected directly into the bloodstream. It can also be administered as a topical anesthetic on the skin or inside the nose and mouth. Dr. Vande Voort is a clinician-researcher whose work spans child, adolescent and adult psychiatry in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Vande Voort completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where her work focused on the use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. She is the co-medical director of the ketamine clinic at Mayo Clinic.
- They may unknowingly suffer serious injuries and delay seeking treatment.
- Far less is known about the neurological effects of long-term use.
- In both studies, the researchers concluded that ketamine lowered the chances of restarting or relapsing into addiction.
It is largely non-fatal when used alone—there is little on record of a lethal dose of this drug in humans. However, this drug can be fatal because it is usually combined with other substances like alcohol (which also has sedative effects) or hallucinogens like LSD and PCP. Because of its addictive nature, this drug is more commonly used in veterinary clinics to sedate animals. Ketamine is available as an injectable liquid but is also abused in powder form.
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