A Review of the Nonmedical Use of Ketamine: Use, Users and Consequences
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 1, 2000 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2000.10400244 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Citations | 229 |
| Key findings | The review describes ketamine as a dissociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties whose nonmedical use has increased alongside "dance culture," a trend that has received little attention in the formal literature despite extensive media reporting. It catalogs the drug's history, sought-after effects such as the near-death experience, adverse effects, its use as an adjunct to psychotherapy, and the ketamine model of schizophrenia, while noting that anecdotal reports remain a necessary source and calling for more formal research. |
Abstract
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic with an accepted place in human medicine. Ketamine also has psychedelic properties, and there has been a recent increase in nonmedical use linked with the growth of the "dance culture." This has attracted little comment in the formal literature but has been the subject of many reports in the media. Myths and misunderstandings are common. The psychedelic properties of ketamine have also led to its use as an adjunct to psychotherapy. This review is intended as a resource for the wide range of persons now requesting accurate information about the nonmedical use of ketamine. It accepts the current necessity of sometimes referring to anecdotal reports while seeking to encourage an increase in formal research. The review includes the history of ketamine, its growing role as a "dance drug," the sought-after effects (including the near-death experience) for which it is taken in a nonmedical context, how these are produced, common mental and physical adverse effects, and the ketamine model of schizophrenia.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine and Ketamine Metabolite Pharmacology: Insights into Therapeutic Mechanisms | 2018 | Review | |
| Mechanisms of Ketamine Action as an Antidepressant | 2018 | Review | |
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Ketamine Pharmacology: An Update (Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Aspects, Recent Findings) | 2013 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement |
Citations in the library
Cited by 62
- Ketamine and Ketamine Metabolite Pharmacology: Insights into Therapeutic Mechanisms Pharmacological Reviews June 26, 2018
- Ketamine use: a review Addiction July 21, 2011
- A REVIEW OF KETAMINE ABUSE AND DIVERSION Depression and Anxiety August 1, 2016
- Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology August 1, 2016
- Legal highs: staying on top of the flood of novel psychoactive substances Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology January 26, 2015
and 57 more in the library
Cites 19
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- Activation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission by Ketamine: A Novel Step in the Pathway from NMDA Receptor Blockade to Dopaminergic and Cognitive Disruptions Associated with the Prefrontal Cortex Journal of Neuroscience April 15, 1997
- NMDA Antagonist Neurotoxicity: Mechanism and Prevention Science December 6, 1991
- Attenuation of the Neuropsychiatric Effects of Ketamine With Lamotrigine Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 2000
- ADVERSE REACTIONS TO PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease October 1, 1984
and 14 more in the library