# data[].attributes.headline
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, some of the most common street names for Ketamine include:

# data[].attributes.subject
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, some of the most common street names for Ketamine include:

# data[].attributes.body
-Cat Valium

-Cat Tranquilizer

-K

-Special K

-Super K

-Vitamin K

-Kit Kat

-Purple

-Jet

# data[].attributes.headline
Scientific Name:        Ketamine hydrochloride

# data[].attributes.subject
Scientific Name:        Ketamine hydrochloride

# data[].attributes.headline
Classification: Ketamine is a hallucinogen and is a schedule III drug.

# data[].attributes.subject
Classification: Ketamine is a hallucinogen and is a schedule III drug.

# data[].attributes.headline
-Ketamine was first invented in 1962 and was approved for human use in the 1970s. Ketamine was created because it caused people to become violent and suffer severe hallucinations. During the Vietnam War, ketamine was used as an anesthetic to help wounded soldiers and it was a great benefit to soldiers as they were able to administer it to each other when out on the battle field. -In the late 1970s, more and more people began to abuse ketamine the and it continued to increase into the 1980s.  In 1978 Marcia Moore and John Lilly wrote books about the use of Ketamine. Marcia Moore wrote Journeys into the Bright World and John Lilly wrote The Scientist, which gave more recognition to the powerful effects of ketamine. In the 1990s ketamine began to be popularly abused in the club scene

# data[].attributes.subject
-Ketamine was first invented in 1962 and was approved for human use in the 1970s. Ketamine was created because it caused people to become violent and suffer severe hallucinations. During the Vietnam War, ketamine was used as an anesthetic to help wounded soldiers and it was a great benefit to soldiers as they were able to administer it to each other when out on the battle field. -In the late 1970s, more and more people began to abuse ketamine the and it continued to increase into the 1980s.  In 1978 Marcia Moore and John Lilly wrote books about the use of Ketamine. Marcia Moore wrote Journeys into the Bright World and John Lilly wrote The Scientist, which gave more recognition to the powerful effects of ketamine. In the 1990s ketamine began to be popularly abused in the club scene

# data[].attributes.headline
As ketamine as powerful effects to relieve pain and depression, it is likely to pose an attraction to teens. Infact, the majority of ketamine users are teens. However, due to its harmful side-effects, it is important to note that this drug should not be consumed. Here are some news stories that highlight the importance of the situation:

# data[].attributes.subject
As ketamine as powerful effects to relieve pain and depression, it is likely to pose an attraction to teens. Infact, the majority of ketamine users are teens. However, due to its harmful side-effects, it is important to note that this drug should not be consumed. Here are some news stories that highlight the importance of the situation:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ketamine, a powerful tranquilliser used on horses, is being taken in growing number by young people in the UK, causing crippling health problems.

Some addicts have needed to have their bladders removed and must now wear catheters. Other users have suffered serious kidney problems, breathing difficulties, addiction, bouts of unconsciousness and trouble with urinating. The drug also involves a heightened risk of heart attack.

Some users also end up with cocaine-style damage to the inside of their nose, because the drug is often snorted in powder form, though it can also be injected, taken as a pill or swallowed as a liquid.

Experts say ketamine is increasing in popularity partly because it is cheaper than cocaine and, as the purity of cocaine falls, gives a more reliable high. It usually sells for about half the price of cocaine, at about £20 per gram, but can be obtained for as little as £5 a gram. "The quality of heroin and cocaine is so poor that people are turning to ketamine, which is cheap and available," said Dr Chris Ford, a GP and the clinical lead for substance misuse management in general practice in the London borough of Brent.

Dr Angela Cottrell, a urologist attached to the Bristol Urological Institute at the city's Southmead Hospital, has studied the health problems caused by ketamine. She saw her first patient with severe bladder problems in mid-2007 and has seen a growing number of cases since. "About one-third of ketamine users develop severe problems with the drug. There's something about the way that it's metabolised that is causing these problems," said Cottrell.

"One of the most alarming things is that the long-term effects on the body are not known. We don't know if things get better over time or whether people will develop kidney failure in the long-term." The damage to vital organs may be irreversible, Cottrell warned.

Ketamine is both a stimulant and an hallucinogenic. In 2007, Professor David Nutt, recently sacked as the chairman of the government's drugs advisory panel, published research in The Lancet which ranked ketamine as the sixth most harmful substance out of 20 studied. It came behind heroin, cocaine, barbituates, street methadone and alcohol, but ahead of cannabis and ecstasy, in 11th and 18th places.

The drug is known as K, Special K and, because of the youth of many users, "kiddie smack". The Addaction specialist drugs service in Lincoln sees about 200 children under 18 every year. In 2007, none said they used ketamine. Between June and November 2008, one teenager said it was their main drug and six said it was their secondary choice, usually behind alcohol or cannabis. But in the same period this year, four 15- to 18-year-olds said it was their preferred way of getting high, and 15 as their next most favourite.

Elliot Elam, of Addaction, said: "It's not an epidemic, but it is an emerging trend. There's a new generation for whom ketamine use is acceptable."

According to the British Crime Survey, only 1.8% of people in England and Wales have ever used ketamine, but that figure is doubled among 16- to 24-year-olds. It estimated that 113,000 people used it at least once in 2007-08. Research published last week in the journal Addiction blamed the drug for memory loss and mild delusions.

A "normal" dose of ketamine is 60mg to 100mg, but some users are taking 5g or 10g a day. Twenty-three people are believed to have died between 1993 and 2006 after walking into traffic and risking other dangers after losing their sense of reality.
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teenagers risk kidney failure in drug craze

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ketamine, a powerful tranquilliser used on horses, is being taken in growing number by young people in the UK, causing crippling health problems. Some addicts have needed to have their bladders removed and must now wear catheters. Other users have suffered serious kidney problems, breathing difficulties, addiction, bouts of unconsciousness and trouble with urinating.

# data[].attributes.headline
Health Problems due to Consumption of Ketamine

# data[].attributes.subject
Health Problems due to Consumption of Ketamine

# data[].attributes.headline
Bladder and Heart Problems with Ketamine use

# data[].attributes.subject
Bladder and Heart Problems with Ketamine use

# data[].attributes.headline
Bladder Problems and 25+ Lifetime Ketamine uses

# data[].attributes.subject
Bladder Problems and 25+ Lifetime Ketamine uses

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Ketamine Cures Depression" | Study Review

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New evidence suggests that Ketamine, a dissociative substance with intriguing capabilities, may be a new "cure" for treatment resistant, major depression.

# data[].attributes.body
-Overwhelming feeling of relaxation, described as a "body buzz"
-Some users feel like they’re floating and some even describe it as being out of their bodies.
-A decrease in feeling depressed.

# data[].attributes.body
Some of the long-term effects from ketamine consumption include:
-Cognitive impairment
- Memory problems
-Inability to see and talk
-Increased depression
-Negative impacts in urinary trac

# data[].attributes.body
Some of the short-term side effects of ketamine include:
delirium

dizziness

euphoria

psychomotor retardation

nightmares or vivid dreams

delusions or illusions

hallucinations

impaired judgment

tachycardia

hypertension

nausea and vomiting

# data[].attributes.body
Ketamine can be used legally by  health professionals, for university research purposes, or with a physician's prescription as it is a schedule 3 drug

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ketamine has "shown promise" in the rapid treatment of major depression and suicidal thoughts, a US study says.

Ketamine has a reputation as a party drug but is licensed as an anaesthetic.

The study found use of the drug via a nasal spray led to "significant" improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said it was a "significant" study that brought the drug "a step closer to being prescribed on the NHS".

The report by researchers from Janssen Research and Development, a Johnson and Johnson company, and Yale School of Medicine, is the first study into ketamine as a treatment for depression that has been done by a drug company.

It is being published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The trial looked at 68 people at imminent risk of suicide.

All patients were treated with a stay in hospital and anti-depressants.

In addition, half were given ketamine in the form of esketamine (part of the ketamine molecule) in a nasal spray and half were given a placebo.

The study found those using esketamine had a much greater improvement in depression symptoms at all points over the first four weeks of treatment.

However, at 25 days the effects had levelled out.

The study's authors suggest it could offer an effective rapid treatment for people severely depressed and at imminent risk of suicide and could help in the initial stages of treatment, as most anti-depressants take four to six weeks to become fully effective.

The nasal spray is now undergoing phase three trials before it can be licensed for treatment.

Potential for abuse

There were no reports of esketamine dependence or misuse in the trial but the authors warn that more research is needed on the potential for abuse of ketamine and say these should be looked at during subsequent trials.

Scientists in the UK are also studying ketamine as a treatment for depression taken intravenously.

Dr James Stone, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told the BBC the "interesting" US study confirmed the findings from successful studies into intravenous ketamine.

"The main reason for its significance is because this is being developed by a drug company and it's potentially quite likely that this medication might become available as a treatment available on the NHS for depression."

'Severe depression'

He said because it was being given as a nasal spray it was "much easier to administer" than intravenous ketamine and was "potentially quicker to give, so it means more people can be dosed at the same time" and you need less equipment.

Dr Stone said if it did go on to be prescribed on the NHS it would be aimed at people with severe depression as a second or third line of treatment if other drugs haven't worked and could be used for people instead of electroconvulsive therapy.

Prof Mitul Mehta from King's College told the BBC it was an "exciting" study.

"All the studies to date have been looking at intravenous use - there are some people who have explored oral ketamine but that doesn't appear to be as successful as intravenous so intranasal seems to be a really good halfway-house.

"It enters the body relatively quickly - it's not as fast as going straight into your bloodstream but not as slow as via the stomach and it's reasonably easy to control how much you give to a person. In that respect this is a really important study."

But he said far bigger studies are needed to look out for any rare side-effects.

You may also like:

'The most significant development since the safety belt'

Genes found for deadly heart condition

Magic mushrooms 'reset' depressed brain

Prescribed off licence

Because ketamine is licensed to be used by doctors as an aneasthetic it can be prescribed off licence for depression. This is happening in private clinics in the US and the UK.

But to be prescribed on the NHS, it would need to be licensed to be used as a treatment for depression.

In the UK, doctors have been trialling ketamine to treat depression since 2011.

Dr Rupert McShane, who has led a trial in Oxford, says ketamine can work on patients with depression "where nothing has helped before".

Last year he called for the use of ketamine to treat depression to be rolled out.

However, he called for a national registry to monitor its use.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ketamine has "shown promise" in the rapid treatment of major depression and suicidal thoughts, a US study says. Ketamine has a reputation as a party drug but is licensed as an anaesthetic. The study found use of the drug via a nasal spray led to "significant" improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours.

# data[].attributes.headline
-Ketamine a medicine that is used to create loss of consciousness, or anesthesia. It can produce relaxation and relieve pain in humans and animals.      '                    -It is a class III scheduled drug and is approved for use in hospitals and other medical settings as an anesthetic.

# data[].attributes.subject
-Ketamine a medicine that is used to create loss of consciousness, or anesthesia. It can produce relaxation and relieve pain in humans and animals.      '                    -It is a class III scheduled drug and is approved for use in hospitals and other medical settings as an anesthetic.