Synthesized in 1962 as an anesthetic and pain-relieving drugketamine – which reportedly killed ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perrydeath for which 5 people, including two doctors – is still used today to induce and maintain anesthesia, especially in veterinary medicine. Born as an anesthetic and effective – also – in the treatment of depression, it is a fundamental drug, but also a powerful drug. The most common form of ketamine used in the medical field is that of a clear, colorless and tasteless liquid, very similar to water, available in vials or vials. The double face of ketamine is well explained by the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research – Irccs.
The History of Ketamine, the ‘Getting High’ Drug
In the 1970s it was one of the most popular substances of abuse among the hippie community. Today, ketamine – also known by the street names K, Ketaset, Special K, Kit Kat, Super Acid, Cat Valium, Cat Valium or Vitamin K – It is one of the most widely consumed ‘get high’ drugs in Europe. According to the study on waste water by the Sewage Analysis CORe group Europe, in which the Mario Negri Institute was involved for Italy, among the first cities on the continent for consumption of the substance of abuse there is currently Milan, together with Bristol, Barcelona, Zurich, Antwerp and Rotterdam.
Often consumed in combination with alcohol, hallucinogens or amphetaminesSpecial K is associated with cocaine in a well-known mix called CK, alias Calvin-Klein. However, if we leave the perimeter of recreational abuse and move into the healthcare context, we discover that this substance, even if used improperly as a drug, is an important sedative drug, defined as a “gentle anesthetic” because it suppresses breathing much less than other drugs used in anesthesia. So important that it has been included by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the ‘List of essential medicines’ that all hospitals should have.
Ketamine is also used in the veterinary field for its anesthetic properties, particularly in emergency and surgical situations for animals of various sizes. Its safety and effectiveness in maintaining an anaesthetic state in animals without seriously compromising breathing make it an ideal choice for many procedures.
Ketamine, similarly to opiates such as Fentanyl or Oxycontin – explain the IRCCS – was born as an anesthetic drug and then spread as a substance used improperly or illegally. However, unlike opiates – which act by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, reducing the perception of pain and inducing euphoria – ketamine interacts with the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system: glutamate. It binds, in particular, to NMDA receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate), blocking their activation, thus preventing the action of glutamate and producing dissociative effects that reduce the perception of pain without significantly depressing breathing.
The Effects of Ketamine
Although less powerful than LSD in terms of visual hallucinations, ketamine is capable of causing euphoria, a strong feeling of detachment from the body and an altered perception of reality. Thanks to its relative safety – explain the Mario Negri Institute – and its dissociative painkilling effects, ketamine was used as an anesthetic during the Vietnam War, quickly becoming a very popular substance of abuse among the military and later among the civilian population. To be sold as an illegal substance, it is subjected to an evaporation process in order to obtain a white powder that can be snorted or taken in tablets or capsules, or dissolved in a liquid and injected.
A person under the influence of ketamine enters a state of drowsiness: they can respond to commands but do not feel pain. One of the distinctive effects of this painkiller is the feeling of separation, cognitive and emotional, between mind and body, including phenomena of derealization and depersonalization. These effects can be useful in managing acute and chronic pain, reducing perceived suffering. Ketamine is widely used in intensive care and emergency rooms due to its ability to provide rapid and safe anesthesia without significantly depressing breathing.
Among the most worrying effects resulting from prolonged use of ketamine is the risk of developing dependence and addiction.. Addiction is determined by both the psychedelic/dissociative properties and the neurobiological effects that it has in common with cocaine, opiates, alcohol and cannabis. Those who consume this substance of abuse assiduously run the risk of suffering serious damage to the bladder, to the point of having to resort, in some cases, to an operation to remove the entire organ. In fact, ketamine damages the epithelial cells that line the bladder, which have the task of containing urine, causing them to lose their characteristic function.
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