Ketamine, an Old–New Drug: Uses and Abuses

Summary

Ketamine is an old drug with new clinical uses beyond anesthesia and pain relief, including treatment for asthma, epilepsy, depression, bipolar disorder, and addiction to alcohol and heroin. It works mainly as a noncompetitive blocker of the NMDA receptor, though its full mechanism is complex. Low doses and short-term use are generally safe and cause few side effects. However, ketamine is also a powerful psychostimulant and has become a commonly abused drug over the past decade.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Ketamine as an old-new drug has a variety of clinical implications. In the last 30 years, ketamine has become popular for acute use in humans. Ketamine in standard doses is principally utilized for the induction and maintenance of surgical procedures. Besides its use in anesthesia and analgesia, recent studies have shown that ketamine has found a place in the treatment of asthma, epilepsy, depression, bipolar affective disorders, alcohol and heroin addiction. Ketamine primarily functions as a noncompetitive antagonist targeting the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, but its mechanism of action is complex. It is generally regarded as safe, with low doses and short-term use typically not leading to significant adverse effects. Also, ketamine is known as a powerful psychostimulant. During the past decade, ketamine has been one of the commonly abused drugs.