Ketamine: What Is It For?
Ketamine is a drug with anesthetic and hallucinogenic properties. In medicine its use is very limited and is usually used only as a fast-acting anesthetic.
It is also widely used in the veterinary field, to sedate large animals, especially horses. It was synthesized and used in the late twentieth century for this very purpose. Its misuse, however, gave it a reputation as a hallucinogenic drug. It began to be used to drug women to rape them more easily, as it causes drowsiness and dissociation.
What is the mechanism of action of ketamine?
Ketamine is a derivative of phencyclidine. Both compounds belong to the pharmacological family of NMDA receptor antagonists. NMDA is short for N-methyl-D-aspartate, a glutamate agonist.
An agonist substance enhances the effect of another substance. Conversely, if a substance is antagonist, it means that it blocks the action of another substance.
Ketamine is an anesthetic because it blocks the activity of NMDA, which in turn is responsible for increasing the activity of glutamate.
Glutamate is an exciting neurotransmitter that participates in synapses in different areas of the nervous system. The cerebral cortex is rich in glutamate receptors as it is the area where learning, memory, etc. centers are located.
By blocking glutamate, the synapses do not transmit the exciting information and the nervous system enters a state of relaxation. Depending on the dose, we pass from a sedative or tranquilizing effect to anesthesia, or blocking of sensations.
What is ketamine used for?
As already mentioned, ketamine is mainly used as a sedative and anesthetic in the veterinary field. Its use in humans is very limited, given the secondary psychotropic effects it causes. However, in less developed countries it is often taken as an anesthetic, since it is a cheaper product than modern drugs.
Why is ketamine a psychotropic substance?
Ketamine is a powerful dissociative hallucinogen. This means that it causes alterations with respect to the location in the body of the person who takes it. Sensations of lightness, floating, detachment from one’s body, etc. are often described.
When it began to be used in low doses on children and the elderly, many patients described what they felt after anesthesia. Since the number of cases was particularly large, numerous studies were conducted and, finally, it was found that, indeed, even at low doses the hallucinogenic effect of the substance was very powerful.
Precisely this power, reflected in the substance’s great affinity for receptors, is what makes it so dangerous.
It is very difficult to dose the correct amount, since it immediately causes side effects. In minimal doses it causes relaxation, while slightly higher doses cause death-like experiences. The feeling of death arises due to the blocking of movements. People who experience it manifest complete stillness.
What are its side effects?
In addition to hallucinations, it also causes memory impairment and attention difficulties. If the dose is increased, the patient suffers from life-threatening arrhythmias, such as bradycardia. Other cardiovascular effects to consider are arterial hypertension, cardiorespiratory insufficiency and increased intracranial pressure.
Babies can die from laryngeal spasms that block the passage of air. They also often have seizures and dystonia.
The term “dystonia” refers to the involuntary contractions of the muscles. The latter, if caused by ketamine, are usually very painful for the patient and reflect the dysfunction of the nervous system.
For all these reasons, ketamine is almost never used in clinical practice. The complications, in fact, are so frequent and dangerous that the risks are very high, compared to the possible benefits. Also, when mixed with other substances, such as alcohol, the intensity of the effects increases.
We recommend that you alert the emergency services as soon as possible if you notice that someone has taken ketamine and take the person to a quiet place. Preferably with low lights and in silence to reduce stimuli to the nervous system.
