Ketamine Therapy Can Help with Substance Abuse
Chances are you’ve heard of ketamine in the context of addiction. Sometimes used as a tranquilizer for both humans and animals, ketamine’s hallucinogenic effects have made it a popular party drug. As its popularity has increased, so has ketamine addiction.
Considering this reality, it’s probably one of the last things you expect to come across when discussing addiction treatment. But ketamine therapy has emerged in recent years as an effective alternative treatment for depression. Its usage in this context has given hope to people suffering from mental health conditions rather than creating more problems.
Now people are asking the question: can ketamine therapy help with substance use disorders? How safe could it be, considering the addictive nature of ketamine itself?
In this article, we’ll discuss what ketamine therapy is and whether it has a place in the treatment of substance abuse.
What is Ketamine Therapy?
During ketamine therapy, low doses of ketamine are administered, usually via nasal spray or intravenous drip. It functions by blocking NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain, which are involved in the regulation of mood, cognition, and pain perception. This leads to a number of consequent neurological effects.
Treatment with ketamine and esketamine has been increasingly recognized as effective. Unlike antidepressants, it works almost immediately and does not need to be administered as often. However, the use of the treatment is still relatively new and, as such, accessibility is still limited and costs are high.
Isn’t Ketamine a Dangerous Party Drug?
Hearing about ketamine therapy can be quite a jarring experience. After all, the substance is best known as an addictive party drug that can have dangerous psychological and physical effects. Does ketamine therapy put the individual at risk?
Actually, ketamine therapy differs from ketamine abuse for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the dose used in ketamine therapy is much lower than that which causes the hallucinogenic effect. Approximately 0.5 mg of ketamine is administered per kilogram of body weight. As such, the total dosage generally ranges from 28 to 84 mg per session. In contrast, recreational users take between 100 mg and 300 mg, or even more.
Secondly, the dosage in ketamine therapy is administered gradually over a period of forty minutes to an hour. Recreational users take the entire dose at once, leading to the hallucinogenic effects.
Due to the danger of unsupervised ketamine use, ketamine therapy is only administered in a clinical setting so as to avoid any possibility of misuse.
Why Use Ketamine Therapy for Substance Use Disorders?
Ketamine therapy has thus far been used primarily in the treatment of mood disorders. You may be asking why ketamine therapy would be used for substance use disorders, considering that some people suffering from addiction are addicted to ketamine.
Traditionally, addiction is a difficult illness to treat. It is both physical and psychological. People in recovery are exposed to many triggers when out of inpatient treatment and relapse rates are high. Furthermore, co-occurring disorders are very common in people struggling with addiction, adding to the complexity of treatment.
Addiction treatment experts and researchers have therefore been searching for and developing new methods for treating addiction. Ketamine therapy shows promise in the treatment of mental illness and is worth exploring as a possible addition to the treatment arsenal. One of its effects is increasing neuroplasticity which makes it easier to develop new habits, an incredibly important component in addiction recovery.
Since many people suffering from addiction also struggle with mood disorders, ketamine therapy can also be instrumental in addressing these disorders during addiction treatment.
Does Ketamine Therapy Work for Substance Use Disorders?
In theory, using ketamine therapy to treat substance use makes sense, considering its effectiveness in treating depression. However, all physical or mental health treatments require testing in order to determine whether they work. Even the best theory can be contradicted by unknown variables and it is only truly possible to assess a treatment based on results in a controlled environment.
Do clinical trials support ketamine therapy?
So far, research into the use of ketamine therapy for addiction treatment has been promising. Studies have consistently shown positive results among participants. In certain cases, it has shown more success than some traditional treatments.
That being said, the research into ketamine therapy is still limited, especially in the realm of addiction. Regulatory oversight has been a barrier to further research in some instances and we have a long way to go before we can say conclusively how well ketamine therapy works for treating addiction.
Is Ketamine Therapy FDA-Approved?
For this reason, ketamine therapy is not currently FDA-approved for addiction treatment. While it is used by some practitioners, this is done so off-label. Even in treatment for depression, it is only approved in cases of treatment-resistant depression and acute suicidal ideation.
When ketamine therapy is used by practitioners, it is generally provided as a complementary treatment. There is still a lot to learn about ketamine therapy before it becomes a regular component in the treatment of substance use disorders.
Are There Reasons to Avoid Ketamine Therapy?
Although ketamine therapy is a promising treatment, it should be used with caution and only administered in a clinical setting. Ultimately, ketamine is an addictive substance and, without supervision, can be easily misused.
Ketamine therapy can also have a dissociative effect. This side effect is temporary but can be distressing for some people.
Conclusion
Ketamine therapy may be able to help with substance use disorders. It has shown impressive results in treating depression and research into its use for addiction is promising.
However, it is important to remember that ketamine therapy can be dangerous unless administered in a clinical setting. It should only be considered under the advice of an addiction treatment professional and, at present, is still considered a complementary treatment.