"After Musk acknowledged his intake..." The dark truth of ketamine

"After Musk acknowledged his intake..." 

The dark truth of ketamine

Experts sounded the alarm about controversial studies promoting the drug

"ketamine" as a cure for depression, especially after billionaire Elon Musk

acknowledged taking it to promote mental health.

In a heated interview with the former CNN anchor

Don Lemon :

Musk said that taking ketamine helps alleviate mental fatigue, explaining that

"those suffering from depression should talk to their doctor about ketamine

instead of SSRI [the most common mental health drugs]."

Ketamine is defined :

as a powerful anaesthetic used to prevent pain in humans during operations. 

It works by blocking the activity of the N-methyl-d-aspartate neurotransmitter

(NDMA) :

• which controls the functioning of the nervous system

• reducing sensations quickly

• preventing pain, stimulating sleep and suppressing memory.

Therefore :

it is commonly prescribed in small doses for non-anaesthetic purposes

such as treatment of depression, which gives patients a feeling of

euphoria and hallucinations.

In the 1970s :

the FDA approved the use of ketamine as a prescription drug.

The World Health Organization

 (WHO) :

lists ketamine as one of the "essential drugs" for anesthesia and pain management

but the FDA has not approved its use to treat psychiatric conditions.

In recent years :

• medical experiments have been conducted to test the drug

• for its supposed mental health benefits, and some studies

• have shown promising results.

Researchers found that the compound targets

the brain's neurotransmitters responsible for mood.

Last May :

a study published in the New England Journal of

Medicine found a clear improvement in the quality of life of adults

with treatment-resistant severe depression disorder, after taking ketamine.

A study published in the Journal of  :

Clinical Psychiatry, in which 400 participants participated, found that

72% of those who used ketamine improved their mood, and 40%

reported no depressive symptoms after 10 doses. 

However :

the study did not monitor possible negative effects.

However :

experts cautioned against overestimating the benefits

and ignoring harmful effects. Some researchers

are also concerned that limited research on the use of ketamine in situations such

as chronic pain may lead to doctors overprescribing and ignoring safety risks.

In a study of 300 patients receiving ketamine

Dr. Padma Gollore :

a pain specialist at Duke University, explained that more than one third of

participants reported significant side effects requiring medical attention

such as hallucinations, disturbing thoughts and visual disorders.

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry claimed that FDA ignored

serious side effects when approving esketamine, the most effective form of

ketamine :

for treatment of treatment-resistant depression.

They found that the pharmaceutical company "Jansen" 

submitted 5 studies to the FDA, and only one had positive effects.

According to :

the National Library of Medicine :

the use of ketamine by a patient with a pre-existing heart condition "can lead to

catastrophic outcomes", including "increased heart rate and blood pressure".

Columbia University researchers found that mice given ketamine for 10 days

experienced brain changes similar to those occurring in schizophrenia, a chronic

and severe mental disorder that often leads to patients losing contact with reality.