Could ketamine be prescribed to treat depression? Party drug hailed as the 'next big thing in psychiatry'

  • Landmark study in 2006 found depressed patients taking ketamine showed 'significant improvement' compared to those taking a placebo
  • Since then various studies have added to the evidence in favor
  • San Francisco psychiatrist says she sees 60% success rate in trials
  • American Psychiatry Association is thought to be considering supporting ketamine as treatment for depression, early this year 

By Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:39 EST, 2 February 2016 | Updated: 22:41 EST, 2 February 2016

Patients battling depression could soon be prescribed ketamine, as experts claim the drug is the 'next big thing in psychiatry'.

The drug is a powerful anesthetic, which stops a person feeling pain, and as a result it is widely used for operations.

The effects don't last long, but until they wear off, the drug can cause a loss of feeling in the body, and a paralysis of the muscles. 

Often referred to as Special K, Super K and Donkey Dust, the drug is also known for triggering hallucinations.

It alters the perception of time and space, and the effects can last for several hours.

The American Psychiatry Association is close to supporting the use of the party drug ketamine in the treatment of people with severe depression, an expert has revealed

The American Psychiatry Association is close to supporting the use of the party drug ketamine in the treatment of people with severe depression, an expert has revealed

The once-popular party drug comes with a long list of dangerous side effects.

It can increase a person's heart rate and blood pressure.

Many users are left feeling confused, agitated, delirious and disconnected from reality.

The drug is also known to cause serious bladder problems, leaving people experiencing a sudden and frequent need to pass urine. In serious cases, a person's bladder has to be removed by surgeons, while others are left incontinent.

Despite this, in recent years, various studies have found encouraging links between the drug and easing the symptoms of depression.

Since 2006, a number of institutions across the US, including Yale, the University of California San Diego and the Mayo Clinic have begun to offer treatments using ketamine - for those patients with severe depression.

A landmark study by the National Institutes of Health published in 2006 found patients receiving ketamine 'showed significant improvement in depression' compared with those people given a placebo.

The drug, which is commonly used as an anesthetic in operations, has been found to be effective in 60 per cent of cases, experts say. A landmark study published by the National Institutes of Health in 2006 found patients receiving ketamine 'showed significant improvement' compared with those given a placebo

The drug, which is commonly used as an anesthetic in operations, has been found to be effective in 60 per cent of cases, experts say. A landmark study published by the National Institutes of Health in 2006 found patients receiving ketamine 'showed significant improvement' compared with those given a placebo

The study concluded 'robust and rapid antidepressant effects resulted from a single intravenous dose' within two hours, and remained effective for two weeks.

Among the institutions currently offering ketamine treatment trials is Kaiser Permanente in California.

San Francisco-based psychiatrist L. Alison McInnes, who has been involved in the treatment of 58 severely depressed patients, told the Washington Post: 'This is the next big thing in psychiatry.' 

McInnes, who is a member of the American Psychiatry Association's ketamine panel, said she expects the body to support the use of the drug in the treatment of severely depressed patients this year.

She said she has seen a 60 per cent success rate in trials conducted at Kaiser's San Francisco clinic. 

Patient Dennis Hartman, a Seattle businessman, told the Post he had experienced suicidal thoughts after a long battle with depression.

But, after trying ketamine treatment, he now goes six months without wanting to kill himself.

He said: 'My life will always be divided into the time before that first infusion and the time after.

'That sense of suffering and pain draining away. I was bewildered by the absence of pain.' 


 

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