At-Home Mental Care Triggers Ketamine Boom In The Us

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : February 23, 2022

Ketamine does not have a good reputation as it was considered a party drug. However, it is also useful to treat some cases of depression, according to some experts. Due to this reason, some doctors prescribe such drugs to treat depression and other related issues. As the covid situation forced many patients to take telemedicine, they had to opt for such platforms, even for mental care.

At-Home Mental Care Triggers Ketamine Boom In The Us

It has become easy for patients to now access ketamine through prescriptions for mental care. Experts are worried that this sudden boom can lead to casualties in case of overdose or abuse of such medication. Even though it is not possible to avoid prescribing ketamine for depression and other issues, they need to be handled properly.

At-Home Mental Care Triggers Ketamine Boom In The Us

When doctors are able to analyze the patients in a personal meeting, it is easier for them to prescribe such drugs to only those people who are not likely to abuse the medication. On the other hand, online consultation may have some loopholes, and it becomes easy to get a prescription for such drugs.

Ketamine has been available in the open market since 1970 as it was once used as an anesthetic. However, it can give hallucinations in many cases, which became popular in rave parties due to this effect. Many people started abusing the drugs for this effect, and their medical use was slowly neglected. There is no concrete evidence to show that using ketamine can improve symptoms of depression. However, it is still used by many patients, and they feel that the drug has helped them to handle the symptoms in a better way.

Considering this situation, it is legal for doctors to prescribe ketamine for depression and other related issues. Many clinics also offer intravenous ketamine treatments to treat depression and anxiety. Apart from that, it is also used in cases of chronic pain. However, the person has to visit the clinic to get such treatments, and it is not available in all states due to various restrictions on such drugs.

Before the Covid pandemic, people had to visit the clinics in person to get ketamine prescriptions. Recently, however, the situation has evolved, and many patients can get ketamine online. Service providers argue that even though there is a chance of abusing this system for getting ketamine prescriptions, it is very less as ketamine is readily available in the open market.

At the moment, mental health clinics that offer ketamine treatment are more expensive than those that sell ketamine on the open market. Doctors say that if the person wants to abuse the drug, they can buy it cheaply in the black market rather than visit a clinic for a prescription.

Ketamine needs to be sold only through prescription according to the law. However, it is available in the streets, and many people use them in rave parties illegally. The ones available in this manner are cheap even though their composition is not completely known. This keeps the abusers away from the prescription route as they feel that getting ketamine on the streets will save them lots of money when compared to going for online treatment.

The effect of the drug can last up to 2 hours in many cases, and patients getting them through online sources are suggested to have an adult babysitter for this duration. Many clinics offering intravenous treatments say that patients have reported a reduction in depression symptoms after undergoing the treatment. Doctors should also look for safer alternatives to treat conditions like depression if this drug is not effective at treating them.


Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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