Ketamine - popular as a recreational drug, can help cure alcohol addiction, says a study
Ketamine is known as an illegal, recreational drug. However, a recent study has found that the drug could be helpful in treating alcohol addiction.
New Delhi: Most people know Ketamine as an illegal drug. Ketamine was introduced 50 years ago as an anaesthetic and was used commonly as a horse tranquiliser. However, recently, the uses of ketamine have been explored and it has been found to have medicinal effects for certain mental health disorders.
Used as a recreational drug at one point, ketamine is now proven to be a remedy for depression, PTSD, migraines, and even alcohol addiction, now, a recent study has found.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University College, London, headed by Ravi Das, found that a single dose of ketamine can help people with alcohol addiction to cut down their alcohol addiction in half. It was also found that the remedy could prove helpful for other addictions as well.
The researchers of the study explained in a press release that people develop drug or alcohol addictions because the substances exploit their brain's reward-learning system. This can lead to people associating the substance with certain environmental triggers, and when a person is faced with the triggers, he/she has an urge to drink.
For the study, the team found 90 people who drank 30 pints of beer, on an average, every week. This is five times the recommended limit. However, these people had not been diagnosed with alcohol abuse in the past and they had not sought medical help for their over-consumption of alcohol. These people were given a glass of beer on the first day of the study, but they were not allowed to drink it unless they completed a task. The task included looking at pictures of beer and other drinks, and rating their urge to drink, and the pleasure they anticipate from drinking.
During the follow-up days, some people were given a shot of ketamine, post which their urge to drink reduced significantly, and the effect was not even short-lived.
The researchers are also hopeful that the remedy will be able to treat other types of addictions as well.
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