Ketamine, an Old-New Drug: Uses and Abuses

• Published in: Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 16
• Main Authors: Savić Vujović, Katarina, Jotić, Ana, Medić, Branislava, Srebro, Dragana, Vujović, Aleksandar, Žujović, Janko, Opanković, Ana, Vučković, Sonja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21.12.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: abuse; analgesia; Analgesics; anesthesia; Antidepressants; Asthma; Bioavailability; Brain research; Catecholamines; Chronic pain; clinical implications; Dosage and administration; Drug dosages; General anesthesia; Ketamine; Lipids; Narcotics; Nervous system; Pain management; Pediatrics; Review; Safety and security measures; Surgery; Serbia; clinical implications; abuse; ketamine; analgesia; anesthesia
• ISSN: 1424-8247; 1424-8247
• DOI: 10.3390/ph17010016

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.