Ketamine ODT

Ketamine ODT

Ketamine is mainly used in both veterinary and human clinical anesthesia serving as pain killer, sedation in intensive care, and induction of memory loss. It produces a wide variety of pharmacological effects including sedation, catalepsy, somatic analgesia, bronchodilator, and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

It usually comes as a white crystalline powder and can also be formulated into tablets and pills. Ketamine is widely administered intravenously, intramuscularly, orally, and nasally by emergency physicians as a short-acting pain reducer. It also relaxes smooth muscles in the airways and may therefore be a useful induction agent in children with asthma.1

Ketamine can be swallowed or injected. Ketamine currently has a wide variety of clinical applications because of its beneficial peculiar clinical and pharmacological properties. The preceding characteristics of the drug have made it survive through the ages for more than half a century with even new-found clinical applications. Its newly discovered neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects and the now-known usefulness of low-dose ketamine regimens have helped to expand the clinical application profile of the drug.

Ketamine ODT

When administered, the pharmacological impact of the medication can last for 45 – 90 minutes. The onset of the effect depends on the route of administration – ranging from as little as 30 seconds to as much as 20 minutes. The effects kick in at just about 30 seconds when injected and up to 20 minutes when administered orally. An equivalent dose of 2 mg of the medication per kg body-weight given through the intravenous route over 60 seconds produces surgical anesthesia within 30 seconds lasting for 5-10 minutes (dose may range from 1 to 4.5 mg/kg); an intramuscular dose equivalent to 10 mg per kg body-weight (range 6.5-13 mg/kg) usually produces surgical anesthesia within 3 to 4 minutes lasting for 12 to 25 minutes.3

Analgesia is obtained by administration of 0.2-0.75 mg/kg intravenously.4 Ketamine is known to produce psychotropic effects in clinical settings when administered via intramuscular injection in doses between 25 to 200 mg.5 Given nasally its bioavailability in children is about 50%,6 while its approximately 93% when administered via the intramuscular route.7

Ketamine ODT

Several studies investigated the local tolerance of ketamine when administered intrathecally.89 Ketamine, when injected without preservative did not cause neurotoxicity in the spinal cord of swine or rabbits.

Ketamine has been utilized in short-term medical procedures that do not require skeletal muscle relaxation, and it has the approval for induction of general anesthesia as a pre-anesthetic to other general anesthetic agents.

It also has been supplemented with low-potency agents such as nitrous oxide. It may be utilized for procedures requiring the reduction of fractures and dislocations.

Ketamine is a promising treatment for some cases of major depression, which is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Studies have asserted that patients who respond to ketamine may rapidly reduce suicidality, that is, life-threatening thoughts and acts. It also may be effective for treating depression combined with anxiety.