Everything You Know About Illegal Party Drugs May Be Wrong and Here’s Why
Scientists believe there is hope, as research suggests that illegal party drugs like ketamine may have the ability to destroy tumors.
According to a team of researchers from Imperial College London, Hirosaki University, Nippon Medical School in Japan, and China’s National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, promising laboratory tests have demonstrated that ketamine, a horse tranquilizer turned party drug, could effectively eliminate tumor cells.
The team hypothesizes that it may block a receptor that promotes tumor growth.
While the efficacy of ketamine on humans is not proven, the Imperial College London team is optimistic that similar results may be observed in further laboratory studies and among patients.
However, before ketamine could be considered a viable treatment option, in-depth studies involving thousands of cancer patients would be necessary. Such developments, if successful, are still years away at best.
Ketamine stands out as a versatile medication and arguably the most extensively utilized anesthetic globally. Initially introduced to the market in the 1970s, the drug serves dual purposes, providing analgesia or pain relief. Recognizing its significance, the World Health Organization (WHO) includes ketamine in its list of essential medicines.
Notably, the administration of ketamine is considered safer compared to other anesthetics and pain relief medications, as it does not suppress breathing or lower blood pressure. Moreover, it eliminates the need for costly patient-monitoring equipment.
The WHO underscores the critical role of ketamine in regions with limited resources, such as low- and middle-income countries, disaster zones, and conflict areas. In these settings, where anesthesiologists may be scarce, and access to running water, electricity, and oxygen supplies is challenging, the drug’s safety profile deems it “indispensable” for surgical procedures.
Despite its medical merits, ketamine’s dissociative properties have led to its misuse as a recreational drug. The drug induces a sense of disassociation and disembodiment, contributing to its popularity in non-medical contexts.
The side effects associated with ketamine vary based on factors such as the type of drug (medical or recreational), dosage, and an individual’s age and health. Possible side effects encompass nausea or vomiting, dizziness, muscle spasms or stiffness, urinary issues, confusion, cardiac-related concerns, seizures, hallucinations, and respiratory difficulties.
As of now, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy remain the most commonly used cancer treatments. However, researchers globally are exploring alternative treatments to enhance care and survival rates, given that up to half of all people are expected to experience cancer in their lifetime.
The recent study, conducted by scientists from various institutions, focused on investigating the effects of ketamine on cancer cells.
In a lab experiment, human lung and brain cancer cells were exposed to different concentrations of ketamine, leading to a significant suppression of cancer growth and spread.
The drug appeared to work by blocking a receptor called n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), which regulates tumor size, spread, and severity.
It’s important to note that the study used relatively high concentrations of ketamine, and the findings do not necessarily imply the same efficacy in human patients.
Ketamine, also known as Special K, Ket, or Kit Kat, gained popularity as a party drug in the late 1990s but faced a decline in the 2000s due to its classification as a Schedule III drug and concerns about side effects.
Recent surveys suggest a resurgence of ketamine in the party scene.
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