‘Party drug’ may be a lifesaver to many
What has traditionally been a party drug may prove to be a lifesaving but controversial treatment for patients suffering from severe depression, and Massachusetts General Hospital has become a major site for the groundbreaking research.
Ketamine — or “special K” — is known to induce a feeling of calmness and, in some doses, may have a hallucinatory effect. But researchers have found that it may provide instant relief to those who have been failed by other treatment methods, which can take two to six weeks to work even if they are effective.
“The effects are much more rapid than anything we have available,” said Dr. Cristina Cusin, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Some are afraid we’ll have a ketamine crisis, but if used correctly, it can be a formidable tool.”
Cusin and her colleagues are preparing to publish the results of a 2014 study that took data from 100 people with severe depression.
It was part of the largest trial to ever examine ketamine for depression treatment.
A search on WebMD for antidepressants yields more than 20 different medications — and yet, it’s estimated that 30 percent of patients with major depression do not respond to any of them.
That is a void that ketamine may fill, Cusin said.
“For some patients, they have an exceptional response,” Cusin said. But, at this point, “We’re not sure how to best use it.”
During the study, Cusin said, it was administered to patients in small doses both through a slow IV drip and through the nose. The former produced results that lasted two to three weeks, while the nasal option lasts a matter of days.
It does come with limitations, she said. Those with a history of substance use would not be prime candidates.
However, it remains the “hottest thing on the horizon” for depression treatment, said Dr. Gary Sachs, a Harvard University psychiatrist.
“The idea that you could take someone who is suicidal today and have them feel better in the same day,” Sachs said, “that’s what we’ve been looking for for years in psychiatry.”