When comparing ketamine vs. esketamine, it’s important to note that esketamine is essentially one part of ketamine. Ketamine is composed of two mirror-image molecules that exist together but spin in different directions—this is called a racemic mixture. Ketamine is composed of two molecules known as R-ketamine and S-ketamine. Imagine your hands, mirror images of one another. The same, […]
Although scientists are still studying exactly how and why these drugs stimulate relief from depressive symptoms so quickly and effectively, most researchers believe both drugs work as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Both medications restore the brain’s proper levels of the most prevalent neurotransmitter glutamate (occurs in 90%+ of the brain), which in turn re-establishes the correct […]
Since the early 1970s, ketamine has been used in humans and animals alike as an anesthetic, most often prior to surgeries. Since it began gaining traction as a viable treatment for depression over the last 20 years, an honest question continues to be posed regarding the drug: can ketamine be used recreationally for depression? The […]