‘Why is it that words like these seem dull and cold? Is it because there is no word tender enough to be your name?’ –James Joyce
A drug used as a general anaesthetic may also work as a remarkably rapid antidepressant, according to a preliminary study.
The drug’s hallucinogenic side effects mean it is unlikely to be prescribed to patients, but it could pave the way to new faster-acting antidepressants, the researchers suggest.
Ketamine is used as an animal tranquiliser, but is perhaps better known as an illicit street drug, sometimes called “special K”. Now researchers have found the drug can relieve depression in some patients within just 2 hours - and continue to do so for a week.
One problem with current antidepressants is that they typically take weeks to kick in. Some studies have found that patients may face a high risk of suicide in the first week after starting an antidepressant treatment because of this lag time. So researchers have been searching for alternative drugs.
