Fact Sheet: Ketamine Aaron Hunt, Gabriela Murza, Jenna Hawks, and Alyssa Ferrin
What Is Ketamine? Ketamine, a general anesthetic developed in the 1960s, is used in medicine to relieve pain and has gained recent attention for its antidepressant effects (Li & Vlisides, 2016). It has pain-relieving properties and produces dissociative effects among users (Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], 2020). Ketamine is a Schedule III substance, meaning there is a risk of strong psychological dependency and potential physical dependency (DEA, 2020; National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2024; Preuss et al., 2023).
Medical Uses for Ketamine Ketamine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a general anesthetic that can be used alone or in combination with other medicines to assist during and prior to surgeries (DEA, 2020; Goordeen et al., 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2025; NIDA, 2024). Ketamine is widely used for its sedation capabilities and ability to relieve acute and chronic pain (DEA, 2020; Goordeen et al., 2022; Orhurhu et al., 2023a). Additionally, ketamine in low dosages is being explored as a treatment for addressing severe depression and decreasing pain caused from long-term opioid use (EzquerraRomano et al., 2018; Goordeen et al., 2022; Matveychuk et al., 2020; Orhurhu et al., 2023a). Ketamine’s antidepressant and anti-suicidal properties make it a promising option for addressing serious mood disorders and treatment-resistant depression (Matveychuk et al., 2020).
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