Party drug and anaesthetic ketamine ‘TWICE as effective as standard drugs at treating depression’

PARTY drug ketamine could help Brits with untreatable depression, experts claim.

They said the horse tranquilliser, known as Special K by clubbers, may be an effective treatment for tens of thousands who fail to respond to anti-depressants.

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In trials, it lifted the mood of patients within hours.

Experts said the results are “one of the most exciting discoveries in psychiatry for years”.

Oxford University researchers have now treated more than 100 patients with severe depression using the drug.

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Just over four in 10 experienced a significant short-term improvement, compared to two in ten for traditional anti-depressants such as prozac.

The team has now set out guidance on how to best use the therapy for difficult-to-treat cases.

They hope it will lead to greater take-up across the NHS – with ketamine already a licensed drug.

Researcher Dr Rupert McShane, a consultant psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I have seen ketamine work where nothing has helped before.

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“But ketamine is a drug not a miracle, and maintaining the benefit is a challenge.

“We think that patients’ treatment should be in specialist centres and formally tracked in national registries.

“This will help us to pick up any safety or abuse problems with longer term use, and narrow down what dose, frequency, route and duration of treatment works best.”

The research is presented in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.

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Recreational ketamine users say it creates a “floaty” feeling where mind and body feel detached.

For the £10 treatment to work for depressed patients, they must be given repeat doses every week.

The first three are given via a drip, with participants then switched to twice weekly pills.

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Around 160,000 Brits suffer from severe depression that does not respond to conventional anti-depressants.

Dr McShane said without NHS oversight, private clinics may step into to offer the therapy without proper checks.

More than 45 are already doing so in the U.S.

Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Paul Keedwell, a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University, said: “The effectiveness of low dose intravenous ketamine in the treatment of depression is one of the most exciting discoveries in psychiatry for years.

“Small doses have a dramatic and rapid effect on depression symptoms in many people who were previously resistant to treatment.”

And Professor Allan Young, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said severe depression is common and costly to treat.

He said: “Preliminary data suggests that Ketamine may be a safe and effective treatment for severe depression and suicidal feelings.”

Researchers are also testing whether ketamine could be a cure for alcoholism.

Early trials found it cut relapse rates by more than 50 per cent among heavy boozers.