Mind-altering ketamine becomes latest pain treatment, despite little research or regulation - Times of India
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WASHINGTON: As US doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy. Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in recent years, driven by for-profit clinics and telehealth services offering the medication as a treatment for pain, depression, anxiety and other conditions.The generic drug can be purchased cheaply and prescribed by most physicians and some nurses , regardless of their training. With limited research on its effectiveness against pain, some experts worry the US may be repeating mistakes that gave rise to the opioid crisis: overprescribing a questionable drug that carries significant safety and abuse risks. “There's a paucity of options for pain and so there's a tendency to just grab the next thing that can make a difference,” said Dr. Padma Gulur, a Duke University pain specialist who is studying ketamine's use. “A me