Risks

Cardiovascular: Ketamine can elevate blood pressure transiently. For individuals with uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a history of aneurysms or coronary disease, it can be dangerous.

Psychiatric: Individuals with a history of psychosis may be at risk of psychosis due to ketamine use.

Dependency and Addiction: Ketamine has the potential for misuse and addiction, especially when used outside of a medical setting or in higher doses than prescribed.

Chronic use: The long-term effects of daily ketamine use are not yet fully understood.

Bladder and Urinary Tract Issues: Long-term and excessive use of ketamine has been linked to bladder and urinary tract problems, including a condition known as ketamine-induced cystitis.

Cognitive Impairment: Chronic and heavy use of ketamine has been associated with cognitive impairment and memory issues.

Psychological Effects: Ketamine can induce hallucinations, dissociation, and altered perceptions of time and space. These effects can be unpredictable and may lead to distressing experiences.

Side Effects

Sleep: In the first few days 5.34% of patients reported that their sleep was negatively affected by the medicine, with the majority experiencing improvements within 2 weeks.

Dizziness and lightheadedness: The majority of patients (83%) reported no symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness, with 16.17% reported tolerable dizziness or lightheadedness and only 0.28% (20 patients) reporting experiencing severe dizziness or lightheadedness.

‍Nausea: The majority of patients (92.40%) did not report any symptoms of nausea after taking the medicine.  6.71% reported tolerable nausea, and only 0.52% reported severe nausea.

Disclaimer:

For therapeutic applications, such as the treatment of depression, ketamine is sometimes used in lower, controlled doses under medical supervision. Research suggests that it may have rapid antidepressant effects, but the long-term safety and efficacy of ketamine for these purposes are still being studied.

The FDA has not approved ketamine for conditions such as depression or anxiety, where it is commonly used off-label.

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