Ketamine is becoming increasingly popular for treating mental illness.
But some doctors and clinics are taking this to the next level by giving patients an injectable drug, allowing them to administer the medication without supervision.
Dr. Mark Siegel, a Fox News medical contributor and clinical professor of medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, He spoke about the dangers of distributing ketamine on “Fox & Friends” on Monday.
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Ketamine was first approved for use as an anesthetic in the United States in the 1970s, Siegel said.
It has only been adapted to treat depression within the last decade.
Ketamine was first approved for use as an anesthetic in the United States in the 1970s, and only in the past decade has it been indicated for treating depression. (iStock)
“The drug works to treat very severe depression by changing chemicals in the brain, but only under the supervision of highly trained psychiatrists and anesthesiologists,” he said.
“The idea that you can get a test over a quick phone consultation and then it’s mailed to you with a self-blood-monitoring kit is extremely dangerous.”
“It can make you really, really sick, and if not monitored, it can lead to hospitalization.”
Doctors warned that ketamine “can cause loss of consciousness, induce hallucinations and increase blood pressure.” [or] Lower your blood pressure.”
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“[It can] “You could get really, really sick and end up in hospital if you’re not monitored,” he said.
When it comes to “breaking the cycle of severe depression,” Siegel acknowledged that ketamine is effective, but “this is not the way to do it.”
Dr. Mark Siegel appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Monday, July 1, 2024, to discuss the risks of administering ketamine via mail. (Fox News)
Earlier this year, the University of Michigan published a study on ketamine’s effectiveness for treating severe or treatment-resistant depression in military veterans.
An analysis by the University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) found that after six weeks of the infusion, nearly half of the patients saw a “significant reduction” in depression scores.
About 25% of study participants saw their depression scores halve within six weeks of starting treatment, and 15% saw their symptoms completely resolve.
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In response to the study, Dr. Justin Gerstner, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Erie Mental Health in Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that ketamine therapy has “made a huge difference for many patients.”
The benefit is that patients don’t have to take the medication every day, but Gerstner noted there is less regulation on how ketamine treatments are administered.
Although ketamine has proven effective in treating severe depression, doctors do not recommend that patients use it without medical supervision. (Getty Images)
“The field is wide open and it feels a bit like the Wild West,” he said.
“It’s a really powerful drug and the ways it’s used are very diverse.”
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) describes ketamine as a “dissociative drug”, which means it causes people to feel “separate or detached” from their body and physical environment.
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Ketamine is sometimes used illegally as a recreational drug, but experts say it is generally not dangerous when used as prescribed.
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Fox News Digital’s Melissa Ruddy contributed to this report.
