New Johnson & Johnson anti-depressant related to 'Special K' party drug

[McWaffle]

The intranasal drug, called esketamine, is closely related to a pediatric anesthetic called ketamine that has been shown in academic studies to ease symptoms rapidly in such patients, including a reduction in suicidal thoughts.

Ketamine is also the active ingredient of the mood-altering party drug known as "Special K."

J&J, which is testing its tweaked version of ketamine in mid-stage trials, on Thursday said initial findings have been promising.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-johnsonjohnson-investors-idUSBRE94M0J120130523

 

[exists]

This is really good news; I'm glad that NMDA antagonists are being seriously investigated as antidepressants.

Yale University researchers have described ketamine as the biggest breakthrough against depression in the past half-century, theorizing that the anesthetic helps rejuvenate connections between brain cells called synapses that have been damaged by stress and depression.

Funny they should say that... extreme depression seems like a kind of death. Since I've been habitually taking low-dose DXM, I can attest to a kind of mental rebirth. I'm not just more interested in life, but I am also learning new things at a faster rate than before having found DXM's antidepressant properties.

Manji said esketamine could be very important for depressed patients who have become suicidal, because it works so quickly. "Today you basically treat people and lock them up until the drugs take effect."

Unfortunately, people are often locked up in jails, not healthcare facilities

 

[Cambo]

Was esketamine not to be sold by vendors as an RC? I could be getting mixed up though...

 

[23536]

Is R-ketamine active? Are there different pharmacology for both enantiomers?

 

[LSDMDMA&AMP]

yea s-ket be active yo

 

[23536]

What about R?

 

[Crankinit]

I believe they're both active, but with slightly different effect profiles.

Also really glad to see some serious progress made in the area of treating depression with NMDA antagonists, hopefully this can make a difference in a lot of lives.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Oh yeah, I forgot the isolation of one enantiomer was enough of a token difference to score a patent. I was expecting some sort of new arylcyclohexamine, maybe even a very close analog of ketamine, but I do declare this is none other than ketamine. At least, half the story.

Great news.

I'll be over there in the corner eating my hat, if you need me, after all I've said about ketamine forever being shunned as a psych med.

 

[Morphling]

Awesome news! %)

 

[S.J.B.]

It would have been nice if the story touched on chirality and made it clear that this "new" drug is, in fact, just ketamine.

 

[Folley]

I like ketamine

 

[Help?!?!]

Oh yeah, I forgot the isolation of one enantiomer was enough of a token difference to score a patent. I was expecting some sort of new arylcyclohexamine, maybe even a very close analog of ketamine, but I do declare this is none other than ketamine. At least, half the story.

Great news.

I'll be over there in the corner eating my hat, if you need me, after all I've said about ketamine forever being shunned as a psych med.

Really....WTF is this shit? I hate how they call it Esketamine so people will think its something totally different but related, reminds me of stupid shit like Citalopram/Escitalopram. Weird/stupid bullshit, though I am really glad to see Ket finally be put into action after all the hesitantly wading around it since ket rightly fucks you, comical they chose the enantiomer that would be more likely to provide stronger "spiritual"/unwanted effects, or that sort of thing.... Probably what makes it so effective in certain terms!

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

But see, I think hiding the fact that it's fucking ketamine is a big part of the point. Ketamine has a pretty god awful reputation in the world of healthcare. Whenever I've brought the drug up, the party line I was usually fed was "Well... I guess it's good for procedural sedation in children, but... [trails off]"

 

[Folley]

Ketamine is good for children you say? That's all the motivation I need to have a line

 

[Help?!?!]

But see, I think hiding the fact that it's fucking ketamine is a big part of the point. Ketamine has a pretty god awful reputation in the world of healthcare. Whenever I've brought the drug up, the party line I was usually fed was "Well... I guess it's good for procedural sedation in children, but... [trails off]"

Seriously? I mean I guess its no surprise, as like one in a million doctors know, and actually care to use Ketamine for anything other then off the wall shit like immediate anesthesia as needed when nothing else is available or slipping it some cocktail of lotion. I know some Docs, such as yourself out there know the true gem that Ket truly is but.....WTF? I mean honestly, its like what listed as one of the most essential chemicals by the WHO standards and that.....

So many facets.....an anesthetic that doesn't affect heart rate or depresses breathing like the majority of others do, not to mention the million other applications ketamine has..... its like a universal key in comparison to most, can completely annihilate pain without fucking with the respiratory system to badly...... so sad that they have to use deference tactics just to get it out of the gate!

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Oh yeah, I forgot the isolation of one enantiomer was enough of a token difference to score a patent. I was expecting some sort of new arylcyclohexamine, maybe even a very close analog of ketamine, but I do declare this is none other than ketamine. At least, half the story.

Great news.

I'll be over there in the corner eating my hat, if you need me, after all I've said about ketamine forever being shunned as a psych med.

Yeah it started way back in the 30s.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

What about R?

Racemic ketamine is different than s-ketamine. So the R-isomer is active, but is not the ideal isomer IMO.

S-ketamine is where it's at. I highly prefer it over racemic ketamine.

So many facets.....an anesthetic that doesn't affect heart rate or depresses breathing like the majority of others do, not to mention the million other applications ketamine has..... its like a universal key in comparison to most, can completely annihilate pain without fucking with the respiratory system to badly...... so sad that they have to use deference tactics just to get it out of the gate!

Ketamine raises heart rate AFAIK.

I think the point you were trying to make is that it doesn't lower heart rate like an opiate/benzo/barb/propofol, and if that was the point you were trying to make, you're very correct. It's a very unique anesthetic.

 

[Help?!?!]

Ketamine raises heart rate AFAIK.

I think the point you were trying to make is that it doesn't lower heart rate like an opiate/benzo/barb/propofol, and if that was the point you were trying to make, you're very correct. It's a very unique anesthetic.

Dat it is. You know what I meant!

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Dat it is. You know what I meant!

It's important to note that it does raise heart rate though, because people like me with a rather high heart rate as is should be careful with it.

But yeah, ketamine is one of the safest drugs out there when you factor everything in. Of course you can still OD and die on it, of course you could still have nasty side effects, I'm sure there's probably one or two people out there who could be allergic to it... but in general, it's really safe.

The only downside to ketamine is that some people tend to find it very, very addictive. I never felt the urge to compulsively re-dose on ketamine, but some people do... I'd watch people go through grams of the stuff in a day and I'd be blown away, considering how long that would last me personally.

However, if s-ketamine was available for depression treatment, I'd be all over it. A single dose will have long-lasting benefits. I've only done s-ketamine once so far in my life, and I'm pretty sure I'm still not as depressed as I was before I did it, just from this one dosage.

 

[megawoof]

think in russia or sum other country they are using low dose ketamine in trials for resistent depression