Americans affected by depression are increasingly turning to ketamine for treatment, but concerns are growing about how people get their hands on the controversial drug.

Ketamine has been utilized in hospitals to anesthetize humans for a long time. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves it to be used on humans and animals. Famous in party circles, the drug is known as “Special K,” and it is understood to provide an out-of-body hallucinogenic high.

Now the Wall Street Journal reports that psychiatrists are growing concerned in regards to the number of individuals purchasing off-label ketamine online in unregulated digital marketplaces. Recent studies have shown ketamine has a positive effect on people affected by severe depression and will be used as a treatment when other drugs have proven non-effective, but generic ketamine is not approved for those conditions.

Johnson & Johnson created a chemically similar drug called esketamine in 2019 for treatment-resistant depression and to be utilized by adults with major depression who’re experiencing suicidal thoughts. The FDA approved the drug, administered through nasal spray by the name Spravato, but it surely is simply available at certified doctor’s offices and clinics due to its potential misuse. After administration, patients have to be monitored for two hours.

Online ketamine sellers don’t offer the identical sort of oversight.

A straightforward Google search will find multiple online retailers offering ketamine to be picked up at your nearest pharmacy or by mail after a virtual consultation with one among their clinicians. Prices amongst online retailers and pharmacies vary with one offering a four-month subscription and treatment plan that costs as much as $2,999.

ClearSpring Pharmacy recommends finding a clinic that administers Spravato, but the positioning recommends a compound pharmacy if a patient requires a distinct dosage.

“We’re capable of provide a dosage size that will not be available commercially,” the ClearSpring Pharmacy website states. “If the patient is just not an excellent risk for addiction, they can also take their compounded ketamine within the comfort of their very own home.”

Dr. Benjamin Yudkoff, medical director of the ketamine and esketamine program at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, said online ketamine prescriptions and taking the drug from home will be hazardous to the patient.

“Places which can be doing virtual ketamine are negotiating a compromise between accessibility and safety,” Yudkoff told the Journal.

Ketamine may cause slowed respiration as well a rise in heart rate and blood pressure. It will probably even be addictive if taken too often and in high quantities.

While virtual retailers advise users to take the drug with another person present and instruct patients to follow a listing of instructions, the environment can’t be regulated. The danger of malpractice is high, said Dr. Michael Champeau, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

“Giving any drug like that has the potential to cause general anesthesia at home in a totally unmonitored environment,” Champeau told the Journal.