KETAMINE DRUG
HOW KETAMINE CAN HELP ANXIETY
Keywords: Anxiety, Ketamine, Social Anxiety
v INTRODUCTION:
Scientists created several short-acting PCP compounds in the 1960s, including the substance ketamine. The FDA authorized ketamine’s usage in humans in 1970. Ketamine is an appropriate potential candidate for many of therapeutic conditions, including reducing or shortening hospital stays, treating acute suicidal ideation, and facilitating medication crossovers due to its quick symptom alleviation.
In addition to its widespread use as an anesthetic and analgesic, the noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine has recently shown promise in the treatment of a number of psychiatric disorders, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal ideation, anxiety, social anxiety and substance use disorder. Ketamine has been abused as a recreational drug due to its euphoric, dissociative, and hallucinogenic effects, which has resulted in strict prescription control. If ketamine works for a person, it can quickly lessen suicidality and relieve other severe depressive symptoms. Ketamine is also helpful for treating anxiety and depression together.
ü Ketamine mechanism of action?
The brain’s NMDA receptors are one area where ketamine is believed to act. Ketamine seems to increase the amount of a glutamate neurotransmitter in the gaps between neurons by attaching to these receptors. The AMPA receptor is a different receptor that is activated by glutamate. Together, the initial inhibition of NMDA receptors and the activation of AMPA receptors cause the release of additional chemicals that aid in establishing new communication channels between neurons. This process, known as synaptogenesis, probably influences mood.
After two weeks and one month following the last dose of ketamine, there is a noticeable improvement in the patient’s depression, anxiety, and degree of sickness. Depression and anxiety significantly improves during the first hour of the first dose.
v SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER:
Severe fear of hostile judgment from others, commonly referred to as social phobia or social anxiety disorder, causes feelings of shame, rejection, embarrassment, and inadequacy in social situations. People with this disease might worry that others will find them boring, foolish, odd, or embarrassing when they engage with them in public. When forced into social situations, individuals experience anxiety and distress because they frequently avoid them as a coping mechanism.
The physical signs of a social anxiety disorder include perspiration, a fast heartbeat, and nausea. A person with a social anxiety disorder may feel helpless and frequently humiliated. Statistics show that roughly 15 million adult Americans suffer from a social anxiety disorder.
ü How social anxiety can negatively impact your life and work:
Your life can become stressful and chaotic if you have a social anxiety disorder. For instance, you might decline employment prospects that require regular interaction with strangers or skip out on social engagements with friends.
The symptoms of social anxiety may be so severe as to considerably affect routine daily activities. They may also interfere with a person’s social life, dating prospects, academic or professional performance, food and exercise routines, or general level of independence. Because of these factors, people with this disorder are also more likely to develop major depressive disorder and drug addiction.
v KETAMINE THERAPY:
Ketamine has proven to be a very effective treatment for social anxiety disorder, according to researchers. The daily chemical processes in the human brain are intricate and broad. The complete range of ketamine’s therapeutic effects in the treatment of psychiatric diseases has been investigated by neurobiologists. The simplified interactions between ketamine and brain chemicals and receptors are described below, along with how this medication can provide instant relief from a social anxiety disorder.
ü Why ketamine is superior to other mood disorder medications in the treatment of social anxiety disorder:
When used to treat social anxiety disorders, ketamine have significantly fewer negative effects than other psychiatric medications like antidepressants. Ketamine has minimal number of typical adverse effects, all of which usually go away within a few hours of therapy finishing, in contrast to the prevalent mood disorder medications that frequently have a various harmful side effects.
Following the initial use, it might cause hallucinations, confusion, decreased environmental awareness, and forgetfulness, among other short-term side effects. Other medications used to treat mood disorders may take longer than a few weeks impacting on the body, and they may also have longer-lasting, more severe adverse effects. If you exhibit signs of social anxiety disorder, think about how ketamine therapy can help.
ü How Does Ketamine Function as an Anxiety Treatment?
Ketamine is an AMPA (Alpha-Amino-3-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-4-Isoxazole Propionic Acid) receptor stimulator and NMDA receptor antagonist. In the brain, AMPA performs a number of biological processes, including the development of new receptors and synapses that link neurons. Depression and social anxiety have both been connected to deficiencies in the normal mechanism, operation, and interactions of these receptors. On the other hand, glutamate is important for the development of brain synapses and is necessary for regular brain activity. In about 80% of neurons, it is present.
The most common psychiatric ailment is anxiety disorders, and despite the availability of efficient treatments, there are high rates of partial responders and treatment resistance. Additionally, anxiety may rank among the most prevalent coexisting psychiatric symptoms in a number of other mental disorders, including attention deficit disorder, substance misuse, and bipolar disorder, although it may not be severe enough to warrant a separate diagnosis. Along with other mental diseases, comorbid anxiety disorders are extremely common. Therefore, it’s crucial to comprehend the effectiveness and safety of ketamine use in this population. Ketamine research has mostly focused on the acute therapy of suicidality and treatment-resistant depression.
Referencing:
1. Derakhshanian, S., Zhou, M., Rath, A., Barlow, R., Bertrand, S., DeGraw, C., … & Kaye, A. D. (2021). Role of Ketamine in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders. Health Psychology Research, 9(1).
2. Ramos, C. S., Thornburg, M., Long, K., Sharma, K., Roth, J., Lacatusu, D., … & Jacobs, R. J. (2022). The Therapeutic Effects of Ketamine in Mental Health Disorders: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 14(3).
3. Mandal, S., Sinha, V. K., & Goyal, N. (2019). Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(5), 480.
4. Mandal, S., Sinha, V. K., & Goyal, N. (2019). Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(5), 480.
5. Banov, M. D., Young, J. R., Dunn, T., & Szabo, S. T. (2020). Efficacy and safety of ketamine in the management of anxiety and anxiety spectrum disorders: a review of the literature. CNS spectrums, 25(3), 331–342.
