Thaindian News

London, Aug 20 (IANS) A single dose of ketamine drug acts like magic for snapping out of the blues.
Ketamine has been used as an anaesthetic for animals and, in some cases, humans too. But studies have found it can treat depression within hours, even when years of alternative treatments have failed.

And the effects of just one dose can last up to 10 days, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Most anti-depressants need many months or even years to take effect. However, scientists discovered that rats given ketamine snapped out of depressive behaviour within hours of their first fix, according to the journal Science.

The drug was even shown to restore brain-connections damaged by stress.

A similar study at the Connecticut Mental Health Centre, US, also found that 70 percent of depressed patients who failed to respond to years of traditional treatment improved within hours of receiving a dose of ketamine.

Ronald Duman at Yale University in the US hailed the potential of ketamine. “It’s like a magic drug — one dose can work rapidly and last for seven to 10 days,” he added.

Duman discovered that ketamine progresses through the nervous system in a different way to traditional drugs.

Until now, its clinical use has been limited as it has to be injected and can cause hallucinations. But it only needs to be used in low doses for depression.

Glenn Garnham, a drug and alcohol counsellor, voiced concerns over the study’s findings.

“I deal with many people who are addicted to ketamine. It affects their life in the same way as any other addiction does, leading to serious problems with health, money, friends and family,” he said.