What Is Ketamine And How Does It Work?

Ketamine is a drug that has anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects. Its use in medicine is very limited and it is mainly used as a fast-acting anesthetic.

Ketamine is also widely known in veterinary medicine, where it is used to anesthetize large animals, especially horses. Initially, in the late 20th century, it was made for just that purpose.

However, due to abuse, ketamine has gained a reputation as a potent hallucinogenic drug and is often used in rape as it has a calming effect on the victim.

How does ketamine affect the human body?

Ketamine is a drug derived from phencyclidine. Both of these belong to the group of NMDA receptor blockers – NMDA stands for N-Methyl-D-Aspartate , which is a glutamate agonist.

When one substance is an agonist , this means that it potentiates the effect of the other substance. Instead, when a substance is an antagonist (receptor blocker), it blocks the effect of another substance.

Ketamine is an anesthetic because it blocks the action of NMDA receptors, which is associated with glutamate activity. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter responsible for most synaptic connections in several parts of the human nervous system as well as the brain. For example, there are many glutamate receptors in the cortex, and human learning and memory functions take place in this area.

Because ketamine inhibits glutamate, synapses do not transmit accelerating information, and the nervous system is therefore in a relaxed state. Depending on the dosage, this drug sometimes works more with an anesthetic effect, sometimes with a calming effect.

Why is ketamine used in humans?

As already mentioned, ketamine is mainly used as a sedative and anesthetic in animals, and is very rarely used in humans, as it has several dangerous side effects.

In addition, this preparation is avoided in human therapy because it is a psychotropic substance. This means that it can change a person’s state of mind. Nevertheless, ketamine may be used as an anesthetic in developing countries because it is cheaper than many other alternatives.

Why is ketamine a psychotropic substance?

Ketamine is a potent hallucinogenic drug with a dissociative effect on humans. This means that it changes a person’s experience of their own body and state. It is common for a person to describe a feeling of lightness, hovering, leaving the body, and the like.

When ketamine was once given in low doses to children and the elderly, many patients reported feeling under the influence of the drug. Because many of these cases were strange, doctors conducted several studies until it was finally discovered that even at very small doses, ketamine was hallucinogenic.

It is because of this property that this drug is very dangerous.

In addition, it is difficult to determine what would be the correct dosage because the side effects are immediate. For example, at very low doses, the result is a relaxing effect, but even a small increase in the amount can be life-threatening.

Ketamine and other side effects

In addition to hallucinations, ketamine can cause changes in human memory and cause difficulty concentrating.

At high doses, an arrhythmia can result – this means that your heart rate is abnormal. Other cardiovascular problems include high blood pressure, bradycardia, heart failure, and increased intracranial pressure.

In addition , the risk of death in children should be considered, as this drug may cause convulsions in the larynx that block the airways. Children may also develop a heart attack or dystonia – the latter being a medical term for involuntary muscle contractions. If ketamine is the cause of these, the contractions are usually very painful and reflect the fact that the human nervous system is not functioning properly.

For the reasons mentioned above, doctors almost never recommend ketamine. Because the complications it causes are very dangerous and many, the disadvantages of the drug far outweigh its benefits.

In addition, if ketamine is used in conjunction with other substances, such as alcohol, it is even more dangerous.

If you suspect that someone in your circle of acquaintances has taken ketamine, call the emergency number immediately, and then that person should be put in a quiet room. Turn off the lights and make the room as quiet as possible so you can keep all sources of stimulation to a minimum.