Use party drug ketamine on depression, say doctors

KETAMINE should be offered as a last resort treatment for patients suffering from severe depression, scientists say.

The horse tranquilliser, which is widely used as an illicit party drug, can be an “innovative” option for tackling the condition and should be explored by doctors, experts claim.

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

However, the news was met with caution by other leading scientists.

The Oxford University-led paper based its recommendations on a study that gave more than 100 patients around 1,000 infusions of ketamine over the course of six years.

It found the drug could lead to rapid improvement in cases where all other avenues had been exhausted and had benefits lasting up to 14 days.

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

Among a string of recommendations made in the paper, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, were that a national hub should be started to pool data from clinics using ketamine treatments.

In 2014, the drug was upgraded from Class C to B amid increasing concern over its physical and psychological effects.

Users as young as 20 have reportedly had their bladders removed due to heavy consumption of the drug.

Prof Allan Young of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: “Before ketamine can be recommended for use in clinical practice, extensive research is required to understand how to optimally use [it] for treating depression.”