Club Drug Ketamine Could Conquer Depression

A study by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of 18 treatment-resistant patients suffering from major depression found that a single dose of ketamine, a human and veterinary anaesthetic known for its recreational among ravers and partiers, had dramatic and almost instantaneous effects on depressive symptoms.

Within one day of receiving an intravaneous dose of the drug, 71% of patients showed improvement in depressive symptoms, with 29% percent of these showing a complete absense of depression. The effects of the drug generally lasted about a week.

While these findings are notable both for the speed and duration of the positive effects, the potential for ketamine's use as an antidepressant is currently limited by dramatic side effects including hallucination. For now researchers are looking toward developing drugs that would mitigate the these side effects and hope to further investigate glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in electrical flow among brain cells and blocked by ketamine.

Read more:
Experimental Medication Kicks Depression in Hours Instead of Weeks
Plumbing the Depths Of Depression
EXTRACT: JAMA: Ketamine for Depression