Ketamine, an Old–New Drug: Uses and Abuses
Pharmaceuticals December 21, 2023 Katarina Savić Vujović, Ana Jotić, Branislava Medić et al. 32 citations
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.