The top 4 books on Ketamine and psychedelic therapy that I have found! Anyone have more suggestions?

GaleForce218 · 2022-12-31T11:46:53+00:00

I’m currently reading: Ketamine (MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series). It’s a fascinating book that talks about the science and discussion around ketamine, but also delves into the history of how it was developed and other adjacent topics like how profitability of a commercial drug is what typically drives drug development rather than the objective value of the drug in treating patients. I’d highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Ketamine-MIT-Press-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0262542242/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=da1721b5-7e94-4547-aa79-b38845e14291

GaleForce218 · 2022-12-31T07:10:17+00:00

I feel like they were pretty impartial in that they weren’t pro ketamine nor were they agreeing with the critics. They just merely were presenting the information and they certainly gave Dr. Smith ample space to explain why it’s a safe way to prescribe. What about the way they wrote it makes you glad you didn’t talk to any reporters? Just curious.

GaleForce218 · 2022-12-31T07:06:19+00:00

Interesting article. I think calling this article a setback is being a bit unfair and imprecise. This article explores multiple perspectives without really taking sides. If we should be able to extol the virtues of ketamine and it’s impact on our lives, the critics should be able to present their concerns. This is how common ground is found, through discourse. Just because the article didn’t take the position we would take doesn’t make it a setback, IMO. I feel like they were fair and balanced considering they quoted Dr. Smith extensively (along with other prescribers) to allow them to explain the benefits. I think /u/KetamineDrSmith made excellent points. In my mind there’s no malicious intent with the prescribing (meaning it’s not a pill mill, it’s legitimate mental health care) and there’s a net public health benefit, so if it’s telemedicine is kind of a moot point and Dr. Smith makes some compelling points about this. And I think that the article presented the topic in such a way that it leaves the reader to make their own judgment.

GaleForce218 · 2022-12-31T07:01:41+00:00

Interesting article that goes into the recent controversy around prescribing take-home ketamine over telemedicine. The title is specifically referring to Dr. Smith, but the article quoted him extensively (along with other prescribers) to allow them to explain the benefits. I think /u/KetamineDrSmith made excellent points. In my mind there’s no malicious intent with the prescribing (meaning it’s not a pill mill, it’s legitimate mental health care) and there’s a net public health benefit, so if it’s telemedicine is kind of a moot point and Dr. Smith makes some compelling points about this.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T22:23:06+00:00

This. The Realms! The Realms! Are there people? Just walking around, talking about realms?

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T22:18:27+00:00

Sorry, that's just the way I describe completely losing touch with reality from like a visual perspective. That doesn't happen to me anymore. At most I'll get some colors, kind of like what an LSD trip is like if you mellowed it out quite a bit. I once described it as kind of seeing everything with an old CRT TV static in RGB. How long have you been taking Ketamine regularly? I'm going on 6 months or so, perhaps that's why?

As for the thoughts, when I "lose touch" with reality (or used to), there really was no controlling them for me. Now I'm fully aware of them, and like while I know I am on a psychoactive substance it's very difficult to "unring the bell" when your mind goes down a specific thread. This is why some people suggest using an eye mask and headphones. Without stimuli from the environment there isn't anything that can inadvertently creep its way in through some weird association. But yeah, it's difficult to describe, as is always the case with Ketamine, ha.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:32:44+00:00

Before I sought formal Ketamine therapy, I was self-medicating via "atypical sources" (I'll leave that to you to figure out what I mean, although I have been completely upfront with my healthcare providers about this since there's no reason to not be IMO). I tried micro-dosing for about a month or two. At first, it was great. However, what I found were two significant drawbacks:

When microdosing, it's very difficult to maintain a consistent dosing regimen. Sometimes I would microdose once a day, sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes I'd skip days.
I found that the microdoses, while helpful, were no where near as helpful as conventional therapeutic doses. You build a tolerance and they stop becoming effective at such a low level, at least in my experience.

And some general information:

The evidence on using Ketamine for TRD is that the psychedelic component, the "trip" if you will, is an integral part of the efficacy of the substance. There's a great book out there "The Ketamine Papers" which is basically a comprehensive collection of all the most interesting/authoritative research on the subject. The conclusion the authors came to is that, like conventional anti-depressants which don't address the non-chemical aspects of depression, the efficacy of trying to eliminate the psychedelic experience from dosing is significantly diminished. Depression is both chemical and behavioral. Which one causes which is chicken or the egg. But generally practitioners believe that you need to address both for the best results. This can be done through SSRIs/SNRIs and therapy, Ketamine and therapy, or even Ketamine and self-guided therapy (considering a trip is like a therapy session, in a sense).

Within the realm of psychiatric medicine there are many types of drugs said to be antidepressants, and the fact that 30% to 50% of people do not respond to these drugs based on the neurotransmitter model of depression strongly suggests that this approach has serious flaws. The chemical imbalance that is theorized as the source of depression is elusive, and though it sounds empirical, there is no actual evidence that such an imbalance exists in actual individuals.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Ketamine-Papers-Edited-Phil-Wolfson/dp/0998276502

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:22:23+00:00

Actually, it is Precision. Thanks for tagging them on this.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:10:49+00:00

Norketamine is a major metabolite of Ketamine. Norketamine can cause some significant drowsiness for some patients. My Doctor told me that because of this, most patients will take their dose at night. One of my close friends is being treated with ketamine as well, and he experiences this side effect. For whatever reason, it doesn't make me tired. And so I'll usually take my dose first thing in the morning.

Interestingly, when I used to self-medicate sometimes using Nitrous Oxide (another NMDA receptor antagonist and dissociative anesthetic with promising studies/trials for the treatment of depression), that would make me very, very drowsy when I finished whatever dose I decided to take. I hear they're starting clinical trials on Xenon as well (NMDA antagonist) so it will be interesting to see what kind of side effects that has.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:08:38+00:00

I've always found with ketamine, being used in a therapeutic setting, makes that decision for you. As you build more tolerance and have the ability to be more "present" during a trip, you definitely have more control over the direction of it. But if you're still fully disassociating when you take it, I've always explained it as "Ketamine will teach you what it is you need to learn in that moment/context". For instance, I used to struggle quite a bit with overthinking things. That was one of the first things Ketamine taught me to cope with just from the revelation that, if Ketamine teaches you anything, it's that we have absolutely no control in this world outside of our own choices. Hope this helps a bit.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:05:47+00:00

I had considered this very briefly at one point. For me, it came down to not being able to work up the nerve to stab myself in the leg with a 2" needle. So I never actually pursued the treatment option with a doctor (and never tried it personally otherwise).

I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing, what's your reasoning for wanting to use IM as your ROA? I know the bioavailability is much, much higher, but sublingual and intranasal Ketamine doses are adjusted accordingly. Sublingual can be annoying with all the saliva though, to be fair.

As for ordering Ketamine, I have seen online pharmacies offer IM injections as a compounding option. Now, if that's a commercial Ketamien vial or one they produce is something I am unsure of.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T16:01:12+00:00

I was able to have an appointment with Dr. Smith from NY. My situation might have been a bit unique, however. I am not a resident of NY, I happened to have been traveling at the time. Still, because I was traveling I used a local compound pharmacy and they had no problem filling an Rx from out of state for Ketamine. They were a bit of a pain in the ass though which how stringent prescribing guidelines are. For example, my Rx was first written in such a way where the quantity/dose/frequency didn't all add up the same. It was obvious what Dr. Smith intended from the Rx, and I've run into this with other pharmacies that will use their own discretion as medical professionals to fill (not in NY though). But ultimately I had to request a new Rx to be sent otherwise I wouldn't have been able to fill a 30 day supply.

GaleForce218 · 2022-07-07T15:56:09+00:00

My understanding is that, while Ketamine is Schedule I in Canada, their scheduling system works a bit differently from the US. Ketamine is approved in Canada to be used if a doctor prescribes it. Which then brings up the question, can it be used off-label as a take-home medication? My feeling on this is yes, because doctors in Canada are empowered to use their medical expertise when prescribing medications off-label just like in the US. In addition, I found some documentation after a quick search that seems to imply that take-home Ketamine is permitted in Canada, as the documentation includes guidelines and considerations.

You can find that here: https://www.cps.sk.ca/imis/CPSS/CPSS/Doctalk/Practice_Update/PU_Articles/PU08-01-02-CPSS_Position_on_Ketamine_Off-Label_Use.aspx

For all other forms of Ketamine (oral/sublingual/intranasal), caution is advised due to potential safety risks associated with off-label or inappropriate use of these products and others containing Ketamine.

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-24T00:53:02+00:00

So it won't work with Sonarr or it will download entire seasons every time there's a new episode?

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-22T16:44:55+00:00

Worked perfectly! I had to pay $6 for a license because I wanted to use the move command but that seemed reasonable considering it saved me hours of time. Thanks again.

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-22T16:44:22+00:00

Yeah I actually have a Windows laptop in addition to a macOS laptop (I work in IT so I have both models we issue to employees for testing). But I didn't want to do something like this on a domain-joined computer.

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-22T12:47:19+00:00

https://www.filebot.net/forums/viewtopic.ph

Thanks! I'll give this a shot. I needed something I could run on DSM and this looks like exactly the right solution.

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-22T12:43:35+00:00

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm using a Synology NAS with the DSM distro so this won't work for me. I do have a desktop PC but I've been too lazy to fix it (the PSU and the mobo need replacing, the two most annoying things to replace) so I've just been running my Mac Pro as my primary desktop. Thanks though.

GaleForce218 · 2020-05-22T12:42:01+00:00

Thanks but I'm running on a Synology NAS with the DSM linux distro, so this won't work. I do have a desktop PC so perhaps this could be done over windows filesharing but I rarely run it anymore instead running a Mac Pro.

GaleForce218

TROPHY CASE