Ketamine availability as an anesthetic agent is restricted in many hospitals due to its use as a party drug, but it is a wonderful drug liked by anesthetic in many aspects. But now, a study has indicated that a novel nasal spray of ketamine - often misused as a party drug - can rapidly treat symptoms of major depression, and suicidal thoughts. The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry , compared an intranasal formulation of esketamine, part of the ketamine molecule, to a placebo for rapid treatment of symptoms of major depression, including suicidality, among individuals at imminent suicide risk.
The researchers at the Yale School of Medicine in the US involved 68 participants randomly assigned to one of two groups - either receiving esketamine or placebo twice a week for four weeks alongside standard treatment with antidepressants. They looked at effects at four hours…
