Ketamine is an illegal drug that can get you jailed for up to five years and send you home with a lot of fines. That being said, it was first used as an anesthetic when it was discovered in 1962.
A controlled trial on Ketamine led by Colleen Loo a professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia has found some truly remarkable things in regards to its use. It seems to have a positive effect on people who are suffering from depression and works best on the elderly. Loo actually told the Independent that their trial showed it could be used safely in elderly people to reduce their depression effectively. While depression in the elderly is usually hard to treat this could be the answer we have been looking for.
The study was done on 16 people and out of those 11 reported their conditions had improved while being treated with Ketamine. 43% of the subjects claimed to have no significant symptoms of depression after only six months of treatment. These were patients who had not responded to other means of treatment.
This drug, while they are not quite sure exactly how it works, is able to stimulate nerve cells that are retracted to bud. This helps reduce the over-wiredness of depressive thinking. The current legislation on Ketamine makes it hard to research in depth the potential benefits of the drug. In professor Loo’s study, these patients were given a small injection similar to insulin jabs. Each dose was personalized for each patient and those who were more resistant to antidepressants received more.
“Not only was ketamine well-tolerated by participants, with none experiencing severe or problematic side effects but giving the treatment by a simple subcutaneous injection (a small injection under the skin) was also shown to be an acceptable method for administering the drug in a safe and effective way.” -Loo
These results seem quite promising when it comes to finding better treatments for depression. Further studying will, of course, need to be carried out especially when it comes to possible side effects and the impact it may have on liver functioning. However, considering most people do not respond well to antidepressants this may be a step in the right direction.
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