Background

Ketamine was discovered in 1962, first tested in humans in 1964, and was approved for use in the United States in 1970. After its US approval, it was greatly used for surgical anesthesia in the Vietnam War, due to its safety. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Ketamine is known to have relatively fast effectiveness for the treatment of non-psychotic, treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar major depression, various pain syndromes, OCD, PTSD, and Major Anxiety. Some physicians report other mood and pain disorders where Ketamine has also shown rapid relief. We compound ketamine in most dosage forms.

The Biological Effects of Ketamine

There are the neurobiological effects and benefits when receiving ketamine. Through these effects, we would expect a general improvement in overall mood, an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and bolstering of neurons that have been worn down over time by the body's physiological response to things like anxiety and depression. The biological effects are dose-dependent, and happen regardless of an individual's subjective experience with the medicine.

The Subjective Effects of Ketamine

There are also subjective or phenomenological healing effects that ketamine can provide at medium/high doses. These effects include novel ways of thinking, disconnection from thoughts or emotions, dilation of time or space, out-of-body experiences, and more. These experiences vary between each individual and each treatment, but can be essential catalysts for deep transformation when treating mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety with ketamine.