A recent study analyzing data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has found that past-year recreational ketamine use among adults has increased dramatically since 2015.
Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic, has shown promise in clinical trials as a therapy for several mental illnesses, including treatment-resistant depression. However, as medical ketamine becomes more widely available, researchers emphasize the need for continued surveillance of recreational ketamine use patterns.
"The new research suggests that ongoing monitoring of recreational ketamine use trends is crucial to balancing clinical benefits against the risk of unmonitored recreational use," the researchers stated.
To address the rising trend, the study's authors recommend expanding prevention outreach to settings like colleges, where younger adults may be at heightened risk of recreational ketamine use. They also emphasize the need for education on the harms of polydrug use, particularly when combined with opioids.
The study was led by Kevin Yang, M.D., a third-year resident physician in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. It was published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.