United States: Ketamine, once known primarily and initially as an anesthetic, is gaining popularity for recreational use across the U.S. A new study which hereby reveals that its use has almost surged by 40% in just one year—between 2021 and 2022. This follows an 82% jump in use from 2015 to 2019. The latest increase is especially noticeable among young adults aged 26 to 34 and college graduates.
As reported by the HealthDay, “These results are similar to other studies showing high use by nightclub goers in New York City as well as rising K2 seizures by Enforcement Agencies across the United States,” Other authors of the study are Garth Mehta, John H. Mogk, and David E. Herald, where Dr. Kevin Yang is a third-year resident physician in psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine.
Ketamine – commonly called ‘Special K’ or Super K’ – is an anesthetic agent for humans and other animals.
New agents include a nasal spray ketamine derivative called esketamine (Spravato) that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in treating depression in adults in 2019, NIDA states.
Ketamine can lead to changes in the perception of reality, says the NIDA. There might be experiences of flying outside of one’s own body, or of sinking into a chair, for example.
🚨RESEARCH SHOWS RECREATIONAL KETAMINE USE IS SURGING IN THE U.S.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 19, 2025
A new study finds recreational ketamine use is rising faster than its medical use for depression treatment, raising concerns about widespread misuse.
The hallucinogenic anesthetic, once limited to clinical… pic.twitter.com/i8IZseS6cB
“At higher doses, a person may experience the feeling of being disconnected from their own body and reality, known as ‘k-hole,’ ” the NIDA’s web-page on ketamine states.
Ketamine poisoning can lead to potentially fatal slow and weak/unsteady breathing issues, most especially when it is mixed with any other substance. It is related to memory issues, and depression and anxiety after long time utilization.
In the new study, investigators examined information collected from 2015 to 2022 by an ongoing poll of Americans’ drug use and health undertaken every year by the federal government.
So, they realized that an increase in the usage of ketamine during the 2010s was primarily linked to individuals with depression. People who had an episode of depression were 80% more likely to have used ketamine between the years 2015 and 2019 to self-treat a mood disorder.
However, the study reveals that the increase between 2021 and 2022 took place among people without depression.
“New data from the study strongly imply that, over time, there was an alteration in the link between recreational ketamine and depression,” researchers noted in the article that was posted in the Journal of Affective.