Ketamine
Ketamine hydrochloride, 2-(2-chlorophenyl1)-(methylamino)-cyclohexanone hydrochloride, C13H16ClNO, is a general dissociative anesthetic for human and veterinary use, selling as Ketanest and Ketalar.
In human medicine, it is used mainly as first-choice anesthetic for victims of (street) accidents and in pediatry, but also for small surgery and in some cases for the treatment of migraine. In veterinary medicine, it is usually used for large animals, commonly horses. It can also be used, in conjunction with other sedative agents, in small animal surgery -- particularly to aid the handling of difficult cats and 'small furries' such as rabbits and rats.
It is a Schedule Three drug in the United States, but is still used in other countries, such as Mexico. Patients sometimes reported going into other worlds or seeing god while anesthetized, and doctors were not willing to deal with this, despite the benifits of using ketamine. Unlike other anesthetics, it does not depressing respiratory or circulatory functions, so it is not necessary to support those systems while the patient is unconscious.
There is research going on in its usefulness for the treatment of alcoholism and heroin addiction.
Psychopharmacologically it is a non-competitive Glutamate inhibitor at the NMDA receptors. These occur mainly in the hippocampal formation and in the prefrontal cortex, which explains its profound effects on memory and thought.
When used recreationally, it is known as "K," "ket," "special K," or "vitamin K" (not to be confused with Vitamin K).
Ketamine produces effects similar to PCP. Users tout its trip as better than that of PCP or LSD because its overt hallucinatory effects are short-acting, lasting an hour or less. The drug, however, can affect the senses, judgment, and coordination for 18 to 24 hours. Ketamine sold on the streets comes from diverted legitimate supplies, primarily veterinary clinics. Its appearance is similar to that of pharmaceutical grade cocaine, and it is snorted, placed in alcoholic beverages, or smoked in combination with marijuana. The incidence of ketamine abuse is increasing, and accounts of ketamine abuse appear in reports of rave parties attended by teenagers. Ketamine was placed in Schedule III of the United States Controlled Substance Act in August 1999.
Ketamine puts the user in a dissociated state, meaning that they are not connected to a sense of self, or to reality around them. If a large enough amount is taken, they go through a "k-hole", and experience other worlds or dimensions that are impossible to describe in our language, while being completely unaware of their identity or the outside world. Often the user does not remember this part of the experience after they regain consciousness. The "re-intigration" process is slow, and the user gradually becomes aware of things around them. At first they may not remember their name, or even know that they are a human, or what that means. Movement is extremely difficult, and they may not be aware that they have a body at all. It is possible to use this state theraputically, taking advantage of the dissociation and removing associations from one's brain. After the experience is over, some of these changes may remain.
Many drug users' first contact with Ketamine is involuntary, often from a pill sold as something else (commonly Ecstasy).