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To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use

Ketamine, a derivative of phencyclidine that was developed in the 1960s, is an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects. In this paper, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of ketamine are briefly reviewed. Ketamine possesses a wide safety margin but such a therapeutic benefit i...

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Autores principales: Li, Jih-Heng, Vicknasingam, Balasingam, Cheung, Yuet-Wah, Zhou, Wang, Nurhidayat, Adhi Wibowo, Jarlais, Don C Des, Schottenfeld, Richard
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove Medical Press 2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3846302/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24474851
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S15458
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author Li, Jih-Heng
Vicknasingam, Balasingam
Cheung, Yuet-Wah
Zhou, Wang
Nurhidayat, Adhi Wibowo
Jarlais, Don C Des
Schottenfeld, Richard
author_facet Li, Jih-Heng
Vicknasingam, Balasingam
Cheung, Yuet-Wah
Zhou, Wang
Nurhidayat, Adhi Wibowo
Jarlais, Don C Des
Schottenfeld, Richard
author_sort Li, Jih-Heng
collection PubMed
description Ketamine, a derivative of phencyclidine that was developed in the 1960s, is an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects. In this paper, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of ketamine are briefly reviewed. Ketamine possesses a wide safety margin but such a therapeutic benefit is somewhat offset by its emergence phenomenon (mind-body dissociation and delirium) and hallucinogenic effects. The increasing abuse of ketamine, initially predominantly in recreational scenes to experience a “k-hole” and other hallucinatory effects but more recently also as a drug abused during the workday or at home, has further pushed governments to confine its usage in many countries. Recently, urinary tract dysfunction has been associated with long-term ketamine use. In some long-term ketamine users, such damage can be irreversible and could result in renal failure and dialysis. Although ketamine has not yet been scheduled in the United Nations Conventions, previous studies using different assessment parameters to score the overall harms of drugs indicated that ketamine may cause more harm than some of the United Nations scheduled drugs. Some countries in Southeast and East Asia have reported an escalating situation of ketamine abuse. Dependence, lower urinary tract dysfunction, and sexual impulse or violence were the most notable among the ketamine-associated symptoms in these countries. These results implied that the danger of ketamine may have been underestimated previously. Therefore, the severity levels of the ketamine-associated problems should be scrutinized more carefully and objectively. To prevent ketamine from being improperly used and evolving into an epidemic, a thorough survey on the prevalence and characteristics of illicit ketamine use is imperative so that suitable policy and measures can be taken. On the other hand, recent findings that ketamine could be useful for treating major depressive disorder has given this old drug a new impetus. If ketamine is indeed a remedy for treating depression, more research on the risks and benefits of its clinical use will be indispensable.
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spelling pubmed-38463022014-01-28 To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use Li, Jih-Heng Vicknasingam, Balasingam Cheung, Yuet-Wah Zhou, Wang Nurhidayat, Adhi Wibowo Jarlais, Don C Des Schottenfeld, Richard Subst Abuse Rehabil Review Ketamine, a derivative of phencyclidine that was developed in the 1960s, is an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects. In this paper, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of ketamine are briefly reviewed. Ketamine possesses a wide safety margin but such a therapeutic benefit is somewhat offset by its emergence phenomenon (mind-body dissociation and delirium) and hallucinogenic effects. The increasing abuse of ketamine, initially predominantly in recreational scenes to experience a “k-hole” and other hallucinatory effects but more recently also as a drug abused during the workday or at home, has further pushed governments to confine its usage in many countries. Recently, urinary tract dysfunction has been associated with long-term ketamine use. In some long-term ketamine users, such damage can be irreversible and could result in renal failure and dialysis. Although ketamine has not yet been scheduled in the United Nations Conventions, previous studies using different assessment parameters to score the overall harms of drugs indicated that ketamine may cause more harm than some of the United Nations scheduled drugs. Some countries in Southeast and East Asia have reported an escalating situation of ketamine abuse. Dependence, lower urinary tract dysfunction, and sexual impulse or violence were the most notable among the ketamine-associated symptoms in these countries. These results implied that the danger of ketamine may have been underestimated previously. Therefore, the severity levels of the ketamine-associated problems should be scrutinized more carefully and objectively. To prevent ketamine from being improperly used and evolving into an epidemic, a thorough survey on the prevalence and characteristics of illicit ketamine use is imperative so that suitable policy and measures can be taken. On the other hand, recent findings that ketamine could be useful for treating major depressive disorder has given this old drug a new impetus. If ketamine is indeed a remedy for treating depression, more research on the risks and benefits of its clinical use will be indispensable. Dove Medical Press 2011-03-16 /pmc/articles/PMC3846302/ /pubmed/24474851 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S15458 Text en © 2011 Li et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Review
Li, Jih-Heng
Vicknasingam, Balasingam
Cheung, Yuet-Wah
Zhou, Wang
Nurhidayat, Adhi Wibowo
Jarlais, Don C Des
Schottenfeld, Richard
To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title_full To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title_fullStr To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title_full_unstemmed To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title_short To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
title_sort to use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3846302/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24474851
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S15458
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