Elon Musk confirmed his doctor-supervised use of ketamine to treat depression in an interview causing a spike in interest in the controversial substance that some doctors view as a promising treatment for depression.
What is Ketamine ?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects. It binds to the NDMA receptors and is essentially a “stop” signal. It starts to interfere with the connection between your brain and your body.
The effects are dose-dependent, but it generally leads to a “disconnected” feeling from you, your person – and your body. Symptoms range from to an “out of body” experience or hallucinations.
Who is Elon Musk ?
Elon Reeve Musk is a businessman and investor. He is the founder, chairman, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO, product architect, and former chairman of Tesla, Inc.; owner, executive chairman, and CTO of X Corp.; founder of the Boring Company and xAI; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI; and president of the Musk Foundation. He is one of the wealthiest people in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$190 billion as of March 2024, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and $195 billion according to Forbes, primarily from his ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
Some doctors believe ketamine could be an effective treatment. A third of clinically depressed patients have a condition that makes it difficult to respond to at least two types of antidepressants. When this happens, one of the only forms of treatment is electroconvulsive therapy (also known as electric shock treatment), though there are some hesitations because of misuse and potential side effects like memory loss. Ketamine proved to be as effective as ECT without causing memory loss, though it had other effects like dissociation, which was typically not unpleasant for patients, according to a 2023 study.
Why Ketamine ?
Musk takes ketamine in small doses to treat depression and uses higher doses of the drug at social events, according to the Journal, citing unnamed sources who saw the Tesla CEO take the substance or were told by Musk himself.
The Many Benefits Of Ketamine
Since ketamine is used for surgery, it helps to calm your mind and also to relieve the pain associated with certain procedures. However, the benefits of ketamine have broken the boundaries of surgery and have shown success in treatment of many conditions, including:
Depression Migraines PTSD Chronic pain Obsessive compulsive disorder Bipolar disorder
One of the benefits that ketamine offers is a decreased need for narcotic painkillers. This is a great advantage, due to the increased likelihood of tolerance and complications with long-term narcotic use. If you suffer from chronic pain, ketamine may be a great alternative to traditional treatments.
Another advantage is that ketamine works very quickly, and continues to work even after it’s metabolized by your body. This is especially true when it’s used for treatment of depression symptoms. Typical antidepressants need weeks to build up in your body and start working, while ketamine can work in a matter of hours.
Recommended Dosage:
200mg to 300mg – Orally
30mg to 200mg – Intranasal
