Special K For Depression Renews Hope In Hallucinogens
By Jason Gale, Makiko Kitamura and Allison Connolly – Jul 9, 2012 6:43 AM MT
Donald says he thought he’d died minutes after ketamine, a popular club drug known as Special K, was infused into his vein at a Sydney hospital in March.
“I couldn’t see anything except pure white,” recalled the 63-year-old depression sufferer, who declined to be identified by his last name. “I thought, ‘oh well, I must have died.’”
His vision normalized within a couple of hours, he said. So did his mood, giving Donald respite from the debilitating depression that had defied a dozen antidepressants he’d taken over decades.
The former academic’s experience is part of broader tests to determine whether ketamine, a hallucinogen commonly used to anesthetize horses, can offer a new avenue for relieving the low mood and self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness that plague as many as 121 million people worldwide.