• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Doctor prescribes thousands of his patients with ketamine

Home> News

Published 12:25 31 Dec 2022 GMT

Doctor prescribes thousands of his patients with ketamine

A US doctor has prescribed thousands of patients with ketamine to help with the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

After two years of being licensed to do so, a doctor in the US has prescribed thousands of patients with ketamine to help with the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The practice is basically being dubbed as ketamine therapy, but it has certainly been a controversial one.

Scott Smith has been licensed to practice the medicine and the recreational drug in almost every US state.

Recreational use of Ketamine is illegal in the US, as it is a dissociative anesthetic - which means the drug can cause people to feel separated or detached from their body and physical environment.

Advert

But while it may be abused as a street drug by some, Ketamine has shown promise in treating depression and anxiety.

Ketamine is abused as a street drug by many.
YAY Media AS / Alamy Stock Photo

And Smith prescribes the ketamine in very non-traditional - and legal - way.

Rather than giving it to patients under the supervision of a clinic to make sure they are not having a dangerous dose, the doctor orders generic lozenges online for patients which they can then take at home.

Advert

Smith says that the drug has benefitted more than half of his 3,000 patients, saying that 'people are beating a path to my door' for it.

The doctor has built a national ketamine practice from his home in South Carolina, capitalising on the pandemic-style public health emergency declaration where it was no longer required for health-care providers to see patients in person.

But with covid-19 restrictions now limited to few countries, many expect the rule to change in the spring which could mean that Smith is unable to continue his practice.

Companies are of course trying to extent the waive, but no decision has been made as of yet.

Advert

As reported by The Washington Post, a man named Steve from Chicago, who works in public relations, has taken advantage of the ketamine therapy.

But the drug has been shown to help people with depression.
Bob London / Alamy Stock Photo

But if he had to do it in person, in a clinic for example, he says that he wouldn't have gone to Smith.

He said: "I would not have wanted to do this if I had to go to a clinic."

Advert

Steve - who wished to have his last name remain anonymous - said that ketamine had helped his bipolar disorder more than any other medication he has taken before.

He plans to continue on the medication through a new service, but admitted that if the regulation changes, he will not be able to take it anymore."

Featured Image Credit: Brian Jackson / Joe Bird / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Health, Drugs, Mental Health

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

17 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • 17 mins ago

    Study discovers new way vaping could impact your body as warning is issued

    The long-term health consequences of vaping are still being established

    News
  • an hour ago

    Couple's horrific experience after spending $22,000 on cruise 'of a lifetime' that left them severely sick

    John and Rosemary Kaasa's trip across Europe turned into a nightmare

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Reason why Putin made rare four-word comment to Trump in English, explained by body language expert

    Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, for a lengthy meeting regarding a peace deal over Ukraine

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Husband charged with wife’s murder after she went to visit him in prison and never made it out

    Stephanie Diane Dowells passed away after an overnight visit with her husband in prison

    News
  • Doctor weighs in on new drug which could prevent and even reverse dementia
  • Doctor explains terrifying impacts of 27 shots of ketamine as Matthew Perry documentary shares new insights to actor's death
  • Study claims use of marijuana could lead to potential dementia diagnosis within the next 5 years
  • Doctor issues warning about little known side effect of Ozempic that can have a long-term impact