Depression Remedy Ketamine Warning and Promise

Depression Remedy Ketamine Warning and Promise

The natural health researchers at Institute for Vibrant Living (IVL) have investigated the developments in the search for antidepressive remedies. Here is their report:

Not A Breakfast Cereal

Scientists have recently discovered a new use for a drug commonly used as an anesthetic in veterinary medicine and favored as a nightclub "fix" nicknamed Special K.

The drug is ketamine and it is commonly used as an anesthetic for animals. However its short-term hallucogenic side effects have also made it popular with those looking for thrills by illegal use of this controlled substance.

Studies have found that a small amount of ketamine can improve medical depression within hours, unlike the days and weeks which more common anti-depression medications can take to have an effect.

Better still, a single dose of ketamine can last for up to 10 days. One study carried out at the Connecticut Mental Health Center reported that in a clinical trial, 70% of depressed patients who had failed to respond to years of traditional antidepressant treatments saw an improvement within hours of being given a single dose of ketamine.

A 'Magical' Cure for Depression?

It has been hailed as "a magic drug" by Professor Ronald Duman at Yale University, asone dose can work rapidly and last for seven to ten days.

Ketamine works totally differently compared with more traditional antidepressive treatments.

It progresses through the nervous system, following a pathway that forms new synaptic connections between the neurons in a process known as "synaptogenesis". The drug restores brain connections which have been damaged by stress.

A 'Magical' Mystery

However, ketamine's potential is still a long way from being made available for general use.

The current downsides which are now being studied are the fact that the liquid form of the drug has to be intravenously injected, and it does have addictive properties. Although only a very low dosage level is needed to improve depression, it can cause hallucinations which may last for up to 90 minutes after taking the drug.

Although proving to be a scientific breakthrough, ketamine clearly needs further analysis and modification. Understanding the mechanism of how the drug works may help doctors to understand how to treat depression using the same pathway that ketamine uses so effectively.

Hurry Up and Wait

Although ketamine is a cheap drug, approving it for medical use is still a long way down the road, but this discovery is a big step towards exploring alternative ways to treat depression, a conditional which affects an estimated 9 million Americans and rising.

POST COMMENT

Learn More About Bipolar Depression And The Treatment Coping With Depression Learn More About Emotional Depression The Similarities Between Depression And Pms How to Handle Bi Polar Disorder (Manic Depression) Finding The Most Effective Treatment For Depression And Anxiety Weight Loss And Depression - The Missing Link Cause of Depression and Migraine – Saturn How You Can Cope with Depression Through Sound Therapy Panic Attacks And Depression Depression Can Strike In Senior Citizens Too Animal Therapy for Depression Sing For Your Sanity: How To Counteract Depression