Ketamine: Club Drug, Anesthetic...And Prescription Anti-Depressant?

(Aug. 19) -- Ketamine, a common anesthetic in emergency rooms that's also renowned as a popular recreational hallucinogen, might soon have a third application: fast-acting anti-depressant medication.

Scientists at Yale have determined that ketamine, known to some by its street name, "Special K," boasts remarkably effective anti-depressant properties that take effect quickly on a majority of patients in a laboratory setting.

Just does the drug work and what do the new findings mean? Surge Desk examines:

How does ketamine work?

The compound seems to operate by repairing synaptic connections in brain neurons that have been damaged by ongoing stress, according to the Yale team, whose work is published in this week's Science.

In particular, ketamine appears to act on an enzyme responsible for creating proteins that build the cells.

"The pathway is the story. Understanding the mechanism underlying the antidepressant effect of ketamine will allow us to attack the problem at a variety of possible sites within that pathway," Dr. George Aghajanian, one of the study's researchers, said in a statement.

Why might it be a better anti-depressant?

First, ketamine works rapidly. In rats, researchers noted a significant improvement in symptoms within hours. Standard anti-depressant medications usually require weeks to make a notable dent in symptoms of depression.

The implications of such fast-acting relief are particularly important among severely depressed patients, where suicide risk is a concern.

And the compound might actually help more patients: In a separate study by the National Institutes of Health, 70 percent of treatment-resistant patients responded to ketamine.

An estimated 40 percent of depressed people don't improve with standard medications, so the NIH finding indicates a remarkable improvement.

Ketamine dosages were also low, and one dose of the compound seemed to act consistently for about a week to 10 days.

What's the catch?

Ketamine remains a Schedule III drug under the federal government's Controlled Substances Act, and some might argue that it still belongs there, despite the promise of a new medical application. Even in carefully monitored studies, the compound has led to psychotic symptoms.

And so far, human studies on ketamine's effectiveness have been small -- only 18 partook in this latest NIH endeavor. Researchers have more to do before they fully understand how the compound's benefits can be reaped without risk.