What is ketamine? The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office released an autopsy report on Friday (December 15), more than a month after Patrick “Friends” Perry died suddenly. The report said Perry died from the “acute effects” of ketamine.
Reports say that the star was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28. He was “floating face down in the heated end.” He was 54 years old. The autopsy report also said that he died because of drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of the drug buprenorphine.
Ketamine has been the subject of a lot of debate lately because it is being used more and more to treat depression and other major mental illnesses. Some experts and patients say it saves lives, but others say it’s addicting and causes problems with the bladder.
Let us look at what ketamine is and see if it is safe to use.
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What does ketamine do?
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, ketamine is a hallucinogen, even though it is used as an anesthetic. The name “dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen” comes from the fact that it makes you feel separate from pain and your surroundings.
In the 1960s, ketamine was first used to put animals to sleep in the US. After about ten years, the US Food and Drug Administration gave the go-ahead for people to use it.
It is only recently that the drug has been used to treat depression and other mental diseases. People who haven’t responded to other treatments use ketamine because it has strong effects. Ketamine is also used as a party drug. In clubs, it’s commonly known as K or Special K.
How does one take ketamine?
For six to eight weeks, people with mental illness generally get ketamine through an IV, a nasal spray, or a tablet. Some people may need it for longer. For fun, people smoke a white, crystalline powder that contains it. Ketamine can also be smoked or given as an injection.
What does ketamine do to you?
A recent story in The New York Times talked to 40 people who had taken ketamine. A lot of them said it felt like a restart button for the brain.
“While they were in therapy, they had pleasant visions and sometimes felt like they were outside of themselves and blending with the universe.” The article says that afterward, their daily problems seemed less important.
It was also said that ketamine became famous because it targets brain receptors that regular antidepressants don’t. “Many people think that the psychedelic-like trip is an important part of the drug’s therapeutic effect,” the report said.
When ketamine is taken in large amounts, its anesthetic effects become stronger. Some people may have trouble moving, feel numb, and have more disturbing dreams. According to The Guardian, users sometimes refer to this as the “k-hole.”
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Can I take ketamine without getting sick?
It’s not clear. Some doctors have said that it is safe to use and very good at healing mental illnesses, as long as it is only used for medical reasons and in the right amounts.
However, a lot of the patients the NYT talked to said that the drug can be addicting and that taking it for a long time in large amounts can seriously hurt your stomach. The study says, “There are signs that abuse may also lead to cognitive impairment.”
Aside from that, not a lot of studies have been done on long-term ketamine treatment to see if it’s safe or not. Also, not much is written about medical users who become addicted to or abuse drugs.