Ketamine may be prescribed as an off-label mental health treatment by some healthcare providers, but the drug is not FDA-approved for any psychiatric disorders. Taking compounded, non-regulated versions of ketamine could result in side effects like increased blood pressure, sedation, and urinary tract infections.
Kaitlin Sullivan is a health and science journalist based in Colorado. She's been part of multiple award-winning investigations into health topics including the international medical device industry and maternal mortality in New York City.Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in consumer-facing health and wellness content.
The drug has received previous FDA approval in some forms and is often used as an injectable anesthetic in hospitals and clinics. For example, someone who cannot take an FDA-approved version of a drug may be eligible to take a slightly altered compounded version that doesn’t include a particular non-active ingredient that the person is allergic to, such as a dye.. When drugs appear on this list, it’s legal for the roughly 7,500 licensed compounding pharmacies in the U.S. to mix, alter, or combine FDA-approved drugs with different ingredients to make up some of the supply.
But, just because off-label use of ketamine for psychiatric disorders is not illegal doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Khan explained there needs to be more clinical trials to solidify that the potential benefits outweigh the risks before the FDA can support ketamine use for psychiatric disorders. Spravato is only approved for use at certified health care providers, and only in conjunction with antidepressant medication.
“With these obstacles in place, people are understandably finding shortcuts to getting it, and that is what is raising the alarm,” Anand toldWhile ketamine for psychiatric disorders hasn’t received FDA approval, research on the drug for mental health is still in motion.Half received a therapy called electroconvulsive therapy three times per week for three weeks; the other half received ketamine.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
CVS Halts Sale of Decongestants That FDA Panel Said May Not WorkCVS Health is removing some nasal decongestants from its shelves after influential experts said this year that an ingredient in the products is ineffective.
Read more »
Yes, the FDA is proposing a ban on chemical hair straighteners with formaldehydeThis year features over 200 hand-painted pumpkins, a pumpkin arch, a 14-foot pumpkin tree and three pumpkin mosaics.
Read more »
The FDA May Finally Take Action on Hair RelaxersThe FDA reportedly plans to ban the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers. Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Shontel Brown asked the agency to review the safety of the products, which some Black women worry could correlate to cancer diagnoses.
Read more »
FDA Proposes Ban on Formaldehyde in Hair Straighteners Over Health DangersThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a ban on the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers over concerns about its link to respiratory problems and certain cancers.
Read more »
CVS Pulls Certain Cold Medicines From Shelves and Will Stop Selling ThemMove comes a month after FDA advisers said the common ingredient phenylephrine is ineffective
Read more »
Sound Waves Treatment to Blast Liver Tumors Gains FDA ApprovalThe FDA has approved a technique using sound waves against liver tumors, according to the University of Michigan, where it was developed.
Read more »