A well-known street drug is now being considered for the potential treatment for depression.
Ketamine, also known as Special K, is being studied by medical professionals who are discovering some of the drug’s possibilities, according to a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Although researchers haven’t found definitive results, they’re hopeful that ketamine can one day be used to help those with mood disorders.
A news release about the study cites ketamine’s “rapid antidepressant effect” on some patients.
Ketamine is used as an anesthetic in both veterinary and human medicine, said Richard Holbert, assistant professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Brain Stimulation Center at UF Health Shands Hospital.
People with depression typically have an overactive brain receptor — a molecular device for controlling cognitive and memory function — and ketamine can act as an antagonist to that.
In theory, ketamine can be used to slow down the receptor the same way it does when it is being used to sedate someone before surgery, Holbert said.
Ketamine is also used as a party drug and can cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences, he said.
Dosage will greatly affect the experience that someone has with the drug. The research team has given more than 400 infusions to 45 patients, according to the news release about the study.
“There have been a lot of question marks about why people are using an illicit drug to treat depression,” Holbert said.
The drug doesn’t offer promising long-term treatment, but it can help with immediate symptoms such as suicidal thoughts, he said.
Erin Rectanus, a 20-year old UF psychology junior, said she isn’t opposed to this type of treatment as long as it’s a last resort for recovery.
“If all other forms of treatment have been proven unsuccessful then I would be OK with using or recommending this drug even though it is a street drug,” she said.
However, Holbert said there is always a risk for addiction.
“When you use anything for a long period of time, there’s absolutely a chance you can get addicted,” he said.
Still, he thinks it’s a possibility that more research can lead to more positive results.
“I’m hopeful but always skeptical,” he said. “We still know so little.”
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 4/7/2014 under the headline "Street drug ketamine could be used to treat depression"]
A recent study has examined that ketamine, also known as Special K, can possibly help in the treatment of depression. It has also been shown to have more immediate effects on those with more serious types of depression.
