Episode 900: Ketamine Dosing

Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD Educational Pearls: What is the oculocardiac reflex? The oculocardiac reflex occurs when pressure or traction is put onto the globe of the eye or extraocular muscles that causes increased stimulus to the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve (C ...  Show more

Contributor: Jeffrey Olson, MD Educational Pearls: What are they? A flexible balloon and suction tube that we insert into the esophagus and into the stomach to stop bleeding. When to use? Typically used for variceal bleeding. Use whenever the patient is too unstable to be transfe ...  Show more

On this episode, I discuss ketamine pharmacology. Ketamine is primarily broken down by CYP2B6 which fortunately does not have a lot of common medications that can interfere with its action. Ketamine can cause psychiatric type adverse effects such as hallucinations, nightmares, an ...  Show more

In this episode, I explain how ketamine causes rewiring of brain circuits and dissociative states to relieve symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I explain how ketamine impacts both the brain’s glutamate and its endogenous opioid pathways, which toget ...  Show more

For years, ketamine has been thought of mostly as a horse tranquilizer — or a street drug that puts you in a scary-sounding K-hole. But now, we’re hearing reports that it could be almost a miracle medicine, treating stubborn depression and other mental illnesses. So how good is i ...  Show more

Some of the most basic questions about ketamine are still under investigation— Which patients are ideal responders? What is the therapeutic dose range? Is there a meaningful dose/response curve? Are fully dissociative treatments necessary for optimal efficacy? How important is ...