Transcript Ketamine
Ketamine is used as a general anesthetic , for humans and animals, to prevent pain and discomfort during medical tests, procedures, and minor surgeries. Ketamine was discovered by Dr. Cal Stevens of Wayne State University in 1961. It was the most commonly used anesthetic in the Vietnam War. Ketamine works much like LSD or PCP and produces similar sideeffects. Different names for Ketamine are: Black Hole Bump Cat Valium Green Jet K Kit Kat Purple Special K Super Acid Liquid to Powder Ketamine is made in a liquid form but can be evaporated into a powder that is either compressed into pills or snorted. Liquid to powder continued…. It can be poured onto glass or a mirror and dried then scraped and snorted. When Ketamine is snorted it takes 5-15 minutes to take effect. Intra-muscular injection is also a widely used method for abuse. Injected Ketamine takes only a few seconds to work. The way a person feels after taking ketamine depends on many factors: Age and weight Medical or psychiatric conditions The amount of ketamine taken How often and for how long ketamine has been used Use of other drugs, including non-prescription, prescription, and street drugs Has been described as a near death experience Feel a sensation of rising above one’s body Being in a stupor similar to being drunk Slurred speech Nausea Unable to move Hallucination Numbness Impaired attention Delirium Amnesia Impaired motor function Distorted perceptions of sight and sound Lost sense of time and identity Out of body experiences Dream-like feeling Feeling out of control Impaired motor function Problems breathing Convulsions Vomiting Memory problems Numbness Loss of coordination Aggressive or violent behavior Depression High blood pressure Slurred speech Ketamine distorts a person’s visual and auditory perceptions and produces feelings of detachment from themselves and the environment. Ketamine is one of the 3 most common date rape drugs. It is odorless and tasteless, so it can be added to beverages without being detected. Flashbacks of experiences and hallucinations have been reported. There have been suggestions that long-term use of Ketamine can damage the memory and eyesight of the user. Frequent use can cause disruptions in consciousness and lead to neuroses or other mental disorders. When ketamine enters the body it is absorbed into the bloodstream where it travels to the brain. In the brain, it redistributes a neurotransmitter called glutamate. Glutamate is a type of neurotransmitter involved in memory, learning, the perception of pain and responses to the environment. Yes, if used often, the body quickly builds a tolerance to the drugs effects and larger dosages are consumed. Ketamine can cause a tremendous psychological and physical dependence. When people stop taking ketamine, they may experience depression or anxiety. Yes, maybe…. Deaths with abuse of ketamine alone are rare. An overdose of Ketamine will knock you out unconscious. If repeatedly taken in large doses, it can cause failure of the cardiovascular system, leading to death. The majority of deaths occur when ketamine is combined with depressants like alcohol, or valiums. Experimental antidepressant use conducted by Carlos Zarate Jr., MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md One trial administered ketamine to patients with severe depression. The doses were carefully monitored to prevent hallucinogenic side effects. The patients' normal medications were continued because it was feared that stopping them might result in severe depressive episodes. Two of the patients demonstrated significant, long-term improvement. Another small study found that ketamine improved treatmentresistant major depression within hours of injection. The improvement lasted up to one week after the single dose. These patients were previously treatment resistant, having tried an average of six other treatments that failed. Treatment of Addiction A Russian doctor Evgeny Krupitsky (Saint Petersburg Regional Center for Research in Addiction and Psychopharmacology) has claimed to have good results by using ketamine as part of a treatment for alcohol addiction. This method involved psychotherapy, controlled ketamine use and group therapy. The result was 60 of the 86 alcoholic males remained sober through one year of treatment. For heroin addiction, the same researcher concluded that 1 ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session was more effective than a placebo in promoting abstinence from heroin during one year of treatment. Works Cited Ketamine Powder. Digital image. Drug Rehab Centers. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.drugrehab-centers.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/02/Ketamine.jpg>. Ketamine powder. Digital image. Http://www.addictionsearch.com/_media/addictionsearch/stock/430_238/ketamine.jpg. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. Yuen, Sing K. A 14-year-old Spayed Chihuahua Had Breast Tumour - Domitor Ketamine IV Anaesthesia. Digital image. TOA PAYOH VETS. 6 Aug. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.sinpets.com/F5/20110806domitor-ketamine-dosageSingapore-ToaPayohVets.htm>. "Club Drugs (GHB, Ketamine, and Rohypnol)." NIDA Info Facts (2010): 1-4. Www.drugabuse.gov. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Jansen, K.L.R. "Non-Medical Use of Ketamine." BMJ 306 (1993): 601-02. Print. Lankenau, Stephen E., and Michael C. Clatts. "Ketamine Injection Among High Risk Youth: Preliminary Findings From New York City." J Drug Issues (2002): 893-905. National Institues Of Health. Pub Med Central. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852470>. Lim, D. K. "Ketamine Associated Psychedelic Effects And Dependence." Songapore Med J 11.1 (2003): 31-34. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Web. 10 Oct. 2011. Ross M.D., Stephen. "Ketamine And Addiction." Primary Psychiatry 15.9 (2008): 61-69. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). MBL Communications, Sept. 2008. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.