Zach Walsh is a PhD and professor in the department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, whose focus is on drugs and human behavior. He explains that ketamine has a history of use as a dissociative anesthetic in humans that dates back to the 1960\u2019s, becoming an FDA approved anesthetic medicine in the U.S. in 1970. Since then, it\u2019s been used everywhere from battlefields to hospitals all over the world.<\/p>\n
Despite its moniker as a \u201chorse tranquilizer,\u201d often with recreational and humorous overtones, ketamine is commonly used to anesthetize many species \u2014horses and humans included\u2014 and is proven to be a safe and effective anesthetic medicine.<\/p>\n
In large animals, such as horses, gas-based anesthetics like nitrous oxide require several parts to administer. Dosage and administration are important safety considerations when dealing with an animal weighing several hundred pounds. This is why ketamine, which can be safely administered in one injection, is often used in veterinary clinics. <\/p>\n
The \u201chorse tranquilizer\u201d mythos is often conflated around this point: the medicine\u2019s strength. The anesthetic doses of ketamine a horse would receive are much different than what a human would, based solely on size. Additionally, the use and dosage of ketamine in humans varies depending on the context it\u2019s used \u2014anesthetic or for mental health purposes.<\/p>\n
In sum, is ketamine used as a horse tranquilizer? Yes, safely and in its own specific medical context. Is it fair or analogous to compare its veterinary application with its therapeutic application and healing potential in humans? Likely not.<\/p>\n
When ketamine is used to treat a client with mental health conditions, in lower doses, it\u2019s felt differently. They\u2019re still conscious and aware of what\u2019s going on, and often able to remember some or all of the experience. This type of therapeutic application can be a powerful tool for some to break through traditional thought patterns. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to learn and experience different ways of consciousness that might be free of whatever repetitive negative thoughts or schemas that are present during regular consciousness,\u201d says Walsh. \u201dIt can be helpful in that way of the subjective effects, like other psychedelics. But unlike [traditional] psychedelics, people pretty much agree that those subjective effects are key. That you have an experience and that somehow informs your subsequent consciousness and attitudes and cognitions.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Walsh says there\u2019s continued debate about whether or not that subjective experience is necessary. <\/p>\n
There is a school of thought in ketamine research that looks at its benefits mechanistically. Some researchers believe that the conscious effects are actually an artifact or even unnecessary side effect, and are focused on effects on NMDA receptors as the primary anti-depressant and anti-anxiety catalyst.<\/p>\n
Ketamine administration and dosing basics<\/h3>\n
Clinician-prescribed ketamine is administered in different ways and dosages, depending on the context in which it\u2019s being used. When used to treat mental conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, it can be taken through a nasal spray, intramuscular \/ intravenous injection, or even a lozenge. <\/p>\n
When ketamine is used illegally as a recreational club drug, it\u2019s often a very low dose. When it\u2019s used as an anesthetic, it\u2019s administered intravenously in a higher, clinically-controlled dose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want to be at a club if you\u2019re taking the types of doses that are useful in [psychiatric treatment],\u201d says Walsh.<\/p>\n
Ketamine\u2019s Therapeutic Benefits<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s clear is that therapeutic use of ketamine can be effective for short term relief for severe depression. In 2019, the FDA approved esketamine, a nasal spray related to ketamine that\u2019s used as a fast-acting antidepressant treatment. Walsh says the results are well established, and while it\u2019s mostly used on its own, some people have used it in conjunction with traditional modalities such as psychotherapy, mental health medications like SSRI\/SNRI and more invasive treatments such as electroshock therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems to be quite effective at relieving treatment resistant depression, at least for short periods of time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Now, one of the challenges for those looking to develop these types of therapies is to find a way to prolong the healing effects. Walsh says the hope is combining it with an active therapeutic outlet. <\/p>\n
\u201cActually engaging with that psychedelic aspect of [the experience] is something that might prolong the effects,\u201d he says. \u201cAs it stands, it\u2019s short acting but very effective. Especially with people who are severely suicidal, it alleviates them from that suicidal ideation.\u201d <\/p>\n
Walsh says some of the early research suggests that some patients using ketamine therapy can return to baseline after a couple of weeks, or sooner, depending on the severity of their condition or symptoms. Still, each experience can be really important to people who are acutely, severely depressed and suicidal. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can alleviate those symptoms even for a relatively brief period then that provides a window where you might be able to make some other types of therapeutic gains,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The remarkable effects of ketamine might not be common knowledge, since progress in this arena is relatively new to the layperson. Still, it\u2019s only a matter of time before ketamine is more widely recognized as a mental health treatment, rather than a street drug confusingly associated with horses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ketamine is sometimes referred to as a “horse tranquilizer” in a dismissive manner. Where did this come from? We sit down with a Professor of Psychology to explore the myth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":29,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.todormanoilov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}