Party Drug Ketamine May Have Remarkable Effect in Treating Depression

Ketamine, an illegal party drug, was tested in a trial of 28 people in order for researchers to observe its possible effects on depression. The results of the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust study were surprising, experts reported.

The first-ever Ketamine trial in the UK to treat severely depressed patients was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Some of the patients in the study suffered from depression for more than 20 years.

Depression affects one in 10 people at some point in their lives. And what's even worse is that a significant percentage of depression patients are resistant to antidepressant medication as well as behavioral therapies. More than one out of 20 Americans aged 12 and older reported having depressionfrom 2005-2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The team at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust sought to help the percentage that proved immune to the current forms of treatment. They administered doses of ketamine for over 40 minutes on six occasions. A total of 29% of the patients experienced significant improvement within a week, including four that were no longer classified as depressed. An additional four reported improved levels of depression.

However, the study also revealed some issues and serious side effects of ketamine. The duration of ketamine's effect remains a problem because patients react to the drug differently. Some relapsed within days while others were no longer considered depressed, so its volatility will be something to consider as the researchers move forward. Additionally, one patient experienced an interruption of blood supply to the brain. Nonetheless, the successes and failures of the study are both helpful to the researchers as well as those who study depression.

"It shows that depression is something chemical, that it can be reversed with chemicals, it dispenses for once and for all that you can just pull your socks up," said Professor David Taylor of King's College London, in this BBC News article.

Ketamine is already used as an anaesthetic as well as a form of medicine to treat back pain. Further studies can only help determine whether the party drug can actually help a wide array of depression patients or if it can be administered in different ways with other medications.

To read more about ketamine and its effect on depression, visit this Guardian news article.