Background Ketamine represents a significant advancement in antidepressant therapy, but the commonly used intravenous and intranasal application routes currently limit its availability beyond specialized centers. By contrast, oral ketamine treatment might constitute an alternative that is easy to administer with established safety and efficacy for patients with chronic and severe pain at home.
Background and Objective In microdose studies, drug pharmacokinetics is measured in humans after administration of subtherapeutic doses. While previous microdose studies focused primarily on plasma pharmacokinetics, we set out to evaluate the feasibility of microdosing for a pharmacokinetic assessment in subcutaneous tissue and epithelial lining fluid. Methods Healthy subjects received a single...
Introduction Converging evidence suggests that ketamine elicits antidepressant effects via enhanced neuroplasticity precipitated by a surge of glutamate and modulation of GABA. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) illustrates changes to cerebral glutamate and GABA immediately following ketamine administration during dissociation. However, few studies assess subacute changes in the...
Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB, "liquid ecstasy") and its legal pro-drugs gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol are gaining in importance as recreational drugs in Germany. The effects of these substances are comparable with those of alcohol or benzodiazepines. Because of the wide availability of GHB physicians are increasingly being confronted with cases of intoxication. This review is based...