Party drug ketamine 'should be used to treat depression’

Scientists have suggested that party drug ketamine is effective when used to treat patients suffering from severe depression.

Experts claimed the narcotic, known for being a horse tranquiliser and which is widely used as an illicit party substance, can be an “innovative” option for tackling the mental illness and should be explored by doctors.

In a paper for a leading science journal, co-authored by ex-drugs tsar Professor David Nutt, researchers said the use of ketamine for medical purposes “does not violate ethical practices”.

Their call was met with caution by other leading scientists, who suggested more research was required before it could be recommended for widespread use.

Dr Rupert McShane, a consultant psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I have seen ketamine work where nothing has helped before.

“But ketamine is a drug not a miracle, and maintaining the benefit is a challenge. So far, the only way we have found to maintain the benefit is repeated dosing.

“We think that patients’ treatment should be in specialist centres and formally tracked in national or international registries.

“This will help us to pick up any safety or abuse problems with longer term use, and narrow down what dose, frequency, route and duration of treatment works best.”

Currently ketamine is a class B drug, punishable by up to five years in jail if caught in possession of it.

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Drug advice website Talk To Frank said that the effects of taking it can include hallucinations and panic attacks.

High doses mixed with alcohol can affect breathing, while combining it with other drugs like ecstasy can cause death.

There is evidence of users as young as 20 having their bladders removed due to heavy consumption of the drug.

One patient, David, who has used the drug to treat his bipolar disorder, said: “Ketamine means that I can live for a few days a week rather than just exist but most importantly gives my wife back the man she married 40 years ago for those days.

“The ketamine doesn’t have the unpleasant effects of other antidepressants, such as lithium tremor, or tiredness or nausea and I am fine to go home by train after two hours.”

Another patient in the trial, Louise, a 36-year-old former nurse, said she did not feel that she was becoming dependent on the drug.

She said: ”I definitely do not feel at all, in any way ‘hooked on’ or addicted to the ketamine.

“I have more trouble with withdrawal and side-effects if I miss a couple of doses of my (standard) antidepressant than I do with the ketamine.”

Currently, doctors are able to give ketamine to patients “off label”, meaning it is a licensed medication but being used for a purpose outside that for which it is marketed.

It is hoped by pooling data from off-label use and examining the results, further research can be carried out to mitigate the risks presented by using ketamine to treat severe depression.

The paper concluded: “We hope that the recommendations proposed here go some way to enabling innovative use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression to continue, with appropriate care, precaution, and foresight.”

Professor Allan Young, chairman of the psychopharmacology special committee at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, urged caution over the results.

He said: “Despite clinical trials showing rapid improvement in mood after ketamine infusion, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge about dosage levels, treatment protocols and the effectiveness and safety of long term use.

“Before ketamine can be recommended for use in clinical practice, extensive research is required to understand how to optimally use ketamine for treating depression.

“The Royal College of Psychiatrists has concerns for patient safety; and hence recommends mental health practitioners to proceed with caution when treating patients with ketamine.”

Top pic: Rex