Ketamine

Description

Ketamine is a powerful dissociative anesthetic used legally in human and veterinary medicine for surgery and pain management, and is also used “off-label” to treat conditions like severe depression. Illegally, it is abused as a recreational drug for its hallucinogenic effects and is classified as a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States.
Medical Uses
Ketamine is a valuable medication due to its ability to provide pain relief and sedation while generally maintaining essential bodily functions like breathing and airway reflexes, making it useful in emergency and battlefield settings.
Anesthesia and Pain Management Ketamine is primarily FDA-approved as a general anesthetic for diagnostic and surgical procedures, especially for short-term use, in both children and adults. At lower, sub-anesthetic doses, it is used for managing severe or chronic pain, sometimes as an opioid-sparing agent.
Mental Health Treatment Research has shown ketamine can produce rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression or acute suicidal ideation. Esketamine (brand name Spravato®), a specific form of the drug, is FDA-approved as a nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults when used with an oral antidepressant.