New Purposes For Ketamine Addiction Medical Detoxification
Ketamine is used primarily as an anesthetic in human beings and in animals. The ketamine rehabilitation has been shown to be effective in patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a debilitating chronic pain syndrome. It has also been used in the treatment of acute pain, addiction and experimentally to treat depression. It is sometimes used for recreational purposes. It is known by the nicknames, ‘K’, ‘Ket’, ‘Special K’, ‘Vitamin K’, ‘Pony dust’ and others.
Penalties For Possession
At the start of the 21st Century, more than 80 percent of arrests and drug seizures for ‘K’ were for products that were manufactured in Mexico. Today, most of the recreationally-used drug comes from India. It is a Class C Drug. This means that it carries the most lenient penalties for personal possession, although possession with intent to supply is still punishable by a prison sentence.
Helpful Uses
The main use of the drug is in anesthetics. It suppresses breathing considerably less than other anesthetics and is often used in children and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. It is also used in emergency medicine on the battlefield, on occasions when the patient’s fluid status is unknown (at the scene of a road traffic accident, for example) and for patients who have suffered a severe trauma and who are trapped.
RSDCRPS
CRPS/RSD is a severe, chronic, progressive pain condition. It has autonomic, sensory, dystrophic and motor components (the term, ‘dystrophy’ refers to the degeneration of muscle tissue). The pain is continuous and worsens with time. It may be accompanied by swelling and changes to the skin. It may start in an arm or a leg and and spread to other parts of the body.
Treatment Techniques
There are two different treatment modalities for using ‘K’ to treat CRPS/RSD. The ‘awake’ technique consists of a slow infusion of a low dose over a period of days. This may take place in a hospital or as an outpatient. The second technique involves putting the patient into a medically-induced coma and giving them a large bolus of the drug. This method is not approved for use in the United States but is widely practiced in Germany and is also used in parts of Mexico. There is also group drug counseling.
Studies
Ketamine was originally shown to improve depressive symptoms in patients using it for CRPS/RDS. Since depression was not an outcome measure for that study, these results were not formally documented. In later studies, it was found very useful in depressed patients who had been refractory to other forms of treatment.
Successful Uses
Russian physicians have reported positive results when they have used ketamine to treat alcoholism and heroin addiction. When the drug was used in combination with psychotherapy, 70% of men were abstinent from alcohol one year later. Similar results have been reported in heroin users.