What is ketamine?

What is ketamine? Thanks for asking!

Ketamine is a psychoactive drug, which is known for being both a horse tranquiliser horse and a party drug for ravers looking to experience a psychedelic trip. lsd kick in It has also recently emerged that ketamine is an effective antidepressant. Its use for medical purposes has been approved in the United States and Europe.

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Ketamine was first synthesised in 1962. It’s widely used by vets to anesthetize animals, but it’s also been used to ease pain in humans for some time. It’s common knowledge that ketamine was given to American soldiers requiring emergency surgery during the Vietnam war. To this day, it’s used in other procedures like skin grafts and cardiac catheterisation.

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In the 90s, ketamine got a reputation as an illicit party drug. Nicknamed Special K, ravers made it their recreational drug of choice for its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects. Of course, using it is illegal and potentially dangerous. Mixed with alcohol or in a high dose, it can lead to respiratory failure and death.

What are the scientific effects of ketamine? 

Ketamine acts as an antagonist on a number of neurotransmitters, in particular glutamate, the brain’s most common chemical messenger. When taken in high doses, it prevents glutamate from circulating, causing the anaesthetising effect. But in small doses it increases production, which is what leads to hallucinations. woosh

In depressed people, some brain cell connections have been destroyed by significant stress or trauma. An article published in Science magazine explained that ketamine can prompt those connections to regrow, thereby acting as a treatment for depression.

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