Ketamine

Ketamine is a prescription general anaesthetic injection used by healthcare professionals to provide anaesthesia for diagnostic and surgical procedures. It is indicated as the sole anaesthetic agent for procedures that do not require skeletal muscle relaxation, for the induction of anaesthesia before other general anaesthetics, and as a supplement to other anaesthetic agents. It is especially useful for short procedures, though it can also be used with additional doses when longer anaesthesia is required. 

Because Ketamine is given by injection, it is used only in monitored clinical settings such as hospitals or surgical centres. The dose is individualised, and the medicine is administered by clinicians experienced in airway management, oxygenation, and ventilation. Before treatment, patients are generally required to fast, because Ketamine is not recommended when nil per os instructions have not been followed. 

While receiving Ketamine, some people may experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, vivid dreams, confusion, or temporary increases in blood pressure and heart rate during recovery. Emergence reactions can occur as the medicine wears off. However, you must alert your healthcare team immediately if you develop severe breathing difficulty, marked confusion, hallucinations, or a serious allergic reaction. 

Do not use this medicine if a significant rise in blood pressure would be a serious hazard, or if you have a known allergy to Ketamine or any excipient. Tell your doctor before treatment if you have uncontrolled hypertension, heart disease, elevated intracranial pressure, or a psychiatric condition, because Ketamine can raise blood pressure and has been associated with emergence reactions and other psychiatric effects. 

This medicine can interact with benzodiazepines, opioid analgesics, other CNS depressants, theophylline or aminophylline, and sympathomimetics or vasopressin. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, an older adult, or have other chronic medical conditions, your healthcare team will weigh the risks and benefits carefully before giving this medicine.

Ketamine provides rapid anaesthesia for procedures that need quick onset and close monitoring. Because it acts fast after injection, it helps medical teams begin treatment or surgery without unnecessary delay and keeps the patient unconscious and pain-free during the procedure. 

• Rapid onset for procedures: Starts working quickly, making it useful when anaesthesia must be established promptly.
• Useful for short procedures: Especially suitable for brief diagnostic or surgical procedures that do not require skeletal muscle relaxation.
• Can supplement other anaesthetics: May be combined with other anaesthetic agents to support balanced anaesthesia.
• Provides dissociative anaesthesia: Helps block awareness of pain and sensory input during the procedure.

• Ketamine will be administered by a healthcare professional.
• Do not self-administer it.

Common Side Effects (Usually mild):

• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness or temporary double vision
• Vivid dreams or mild confusion during recovery
• Increased blood pressure or heart rate
• Salivation 
   

Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):

• Severe breathing difficulty or respiratory depression, especially with rapid administration or overdose
• Severe confusion, agitation, hallucinations, or emergence delirium
• Irregular heartbeat or marked changes in blood pressure
• Signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, hives, or difficulty breathing