Do You Think Ketamine Will Ever Be Prescribed for Depression?

Question by David: Do you think ketamine will ever be prescribed for depression?
I think its time we switch to other alternatives for anti-depressants… I mean for the most part SRRI haven’t been much help for many. They have many side effects, increased suicidal thoughts, and its a whole process to go through all of them just to find out what works ok for you. Currently I am taking 60mg prozac and nothing has changed. I’m not saying SRRI are completely useless but for many they do not work well. What do you think?
there are so many things that can be used recreational but are still prescribed anyway. people need to get past that fact and start actually helping people.

Best answer:

Answer by Tink
I spent a lot of years researching depression for my degree….and this is one of my favorite quotes to have come out of my work…

““Research on unipolar depression has been dominated by catecholamine and seratonin concepts of disturbed neurotransmitter receptor function. These fields are undoubtably important and the partial successes of the tricyclic antidepressants and the selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the related drugs have kept the pharmaceutical industry research focused on the identification of better and safer drugs within these classes. The dominance of industry funding in this field has obscured the facts that about 30% of patients do not respond to any drug, that the definition for response for those who do respond is usually a 50% rather than an 80-100% improvement in rating scores, and that in terms of efficacy the current drugs are no better than those introduced in the 1950’s…..Given the intensity of research on neurotransmitter hypotheses, we have either been unlucky or unimaginative in not finding better neurotransmitter-based drugs, or alternatively there are other quite different mechanisms which contribute to depression and which remain quite untouched by current drugs.”

Horrobin, D.F., Bennet, C.N., (1999). Depression and bipolar disorder: relationships to impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism and to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunological abnormalities, cancer, ageing and osteoporosis – possible gene candidates. Prostaglandins, Leukotrines, and Essential Fatty Acids, 60 (4), 217-234.

To put that in perspective, Horrobin was at one time THE MAN at the National Institutes of Mental Healh….and he wrote that at that time….

So yeah, we are surely lacking in effective treatments for depression. Its a freaking shame. Part of the problem is that we accept that people can “pull themselves up by the boostraps” – which means that people dont need a pill, they need will power. If society accepted that its a problem no different than a flu (indeed, immunological research indicates that depression is the equivalent of a brain flu) we would have better treatments for the symptoms as well as the causes…

I’m sorry, I got on a soapbox….
However, to answer your question, I dont think its a question of “will Ketamine be used for depression” I think its a question of “how will they be able to deliver it as a treatment to so many people?” and more to the point….how badly will they be able to screw that up?

Answer by Jerbson
Studies have shown single uses of psychoactive drugs can have a life changing effect of some individuals but I don’t think taking ketamine regularly would be a good idea heath wise. Effects are very similar to PCP at recreational doses, which brings up the other issue. Ketamine can be used as a recreational drug. The medical community doesn’t really like that idea. Similar clames have been made about MDMA and other drugs but over the long term with regular use more damage is done than it’s worth. I do agree SSRI’s aren’t very effective but until a realistic alternative is available that what we have.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Best Depression Treatment – Tips for Treatment of Depression – Learn how to cure depression. Visit us at: bit.ly Start leading a normal life. Start feeling happy, content and fulfilled again. Start enjoying your relationships and work. You don’t need to hire expensive therapists. Visit our site for more information on how to cure depression without medicine and without therapists. This program is a calm and gentle way to cure depression.

TMS helps patients with depression
A gentleman sits in a chair with a device the size of a cupped hand on the side of his head. This is the sound of progress when it comes to treating Jim Douthit's depression. He was diagnosed with major, chronic depression. "I kept getting deeper and … Read more on WSFA

Kamran Faisal was murdered: Father
Najma's revealation that she was not treating Kamran has given a new twist to the mysterious death of NAB officer. “Only once, Kamran Faisal came for treatment of depression and he was not a psycho-patient. I prescribed few medicines for relaxation not … Read more on PakistanToday.com.pk