According to Maximize Market Research, the global Ketamine therapy market, valued at $307.52 in 2022, is expected to grow to $3642.30 million in 2029. These numbers demonstrate how Ketamine therapy is becoming the new frontier of mental health treatment.
The drug, once most widely known for its anesthetic use, has since gained currency in elite circles as a creative drug for exploring alternate conscious states. Meanwhile, this New York Times expose illustrates how Ketamine is pushing the limits in treating drug-treatment-resistant depression. What’s that all about? Let’s find the truth.
What is Ketamine?
Calvin L. Stevens first synthesized Ketamine in 1962 for use as an anesthetic. Today, it is prescribed in low doses for therapeutic purposes, such as treating depression among patients. The chemical formula C13H16ClNO binds to NMDA receptors in the brain, blocking them and thereby acting upon brain pathways.
Once primarily used in surgeries, today, the medical community is pursuing its potential in psychiatric care. The use of Ketamine for depression is considered very promising, especially in cases resistant to other treatments where medications have failed. But how does Ketamine work?
Is Ketamine a Psychedelic?
This question keeps arising due to the similarities in mind-altering effects Ketamine creates for subjects. Even though Ketamine does not entirely fit into the category of psychedelics, such as Psilocybin, which is the active component found in magic mushrooms, it does share numerous similarities.
Ketamine vs Psilocybin
Just like Psilocybin, Ketamine creates a dissociative state whereby subjects feel detached from their body and the environment. People who use the drug describe it as an out-of-body experience. Even though people describe it as a "psychedelic" experience, Ketamine is not classified as such as substances like MDMA and Psilocybin.
Is Ketamine a Type of Mushroom?
A common myth is that Ketamine is a mushroom derivative. The question so often asked is “Is Ketamine a mushroom?” The answer is no. While Psilocybin, naturally occurring in "magic mushrooms," is a classic psychedelic, Ketamine is synthetic.
Both are spoken of in the same breath due to their uses over the years in the domains of expanding consciousness and treating mental health disorders. However, each substance differs in biological activity and therapeutic uses.
Legal and Government Regulation of Ketamine
In the United States, Ketamine is listed as a Schedule III non-narcotic controlled substance due to its moderate potential for abuse, though it also contains accepted medical usages. This is another difference between Ketamine vs MDMA.
The latter is a Schedule 1 substance. The FDA has approved Ketamine for specific purposes, like anesthesia, and more recently for use in treating resistant depression under the name Spravato. This nasal spray form of Ketamine is closely regulated and can only be administered in a medically supervised setting.
The medication is accessible through a doctor’s prescription. However, several reports have surfaced regarding the sales of Ketamine on the dark web, where purchasers use it recreationally or experiment with self-prescribed mental health treatments. The risks of unregulated ketamine use include addiction, cognitive damage, and physical side effects, such as high blood pressure and respiratory problems.
Ketamine and Neuroplasticity
Substances like Ketamine can change mood and cognitive function, but beyond that, they also improve neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways and learn new information. This leads to new thought patterns, new behaviors and possibly more creativity. That perhaps explains why ketamine is so popular among ambitious individuals.
Apart from treating mental illness that could arise in such high-stress environments, Silicone Valley developers and founders could be using Ketamine for learning and creativity. From authoritative reports seen on the web, Ketamine does enhance focus, creativity, and empathy.
Risks of Using Ketamine
Despite the numerous beneficial uses of Ketamine, when used recreationally, it can easily result in substance dependence and other unwanted outcomes. Research conducted established that individuals who took Ketamine for recreation suffered from long-term impairment of their cognitive abilities. Rates of addiction are even higher, as frequent utilization results in tolerance and dependence on stronger dosages of the substance.
On the other hand, several favorable effects associated with Ketamine have been revealed, including its applicability in the treatment of severe PTSD. Ketamine for depression therapies could revolutionize the treatment for those who did not respond to other drugs.
The Future of Ketamine
The world of ketamine therapy is as diverse as it is promising. The drug offers the potential for advancement in both traditionally described psychiatry and the field of addiction. Ketamine, which was first developed as an anesthetic and only later found its place in the modern world as an outstanding approach to treating psychological disorders, remains equally captivating for the medical profession and the creative sector.
Despite its use for enhancing mood and, thereby, treating depression as well as enhancement of cognitive functioning, the risks inherent in the use of this substance cannot be overlooked. As more research is conducted on Ketamine, the advantages of the treatment must be weighed against the risks of abuse.
