Elon Musk discussed his use of ketamine to treat depression in a recent interview.
The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO said he uses a small amount of ketamine once every other week when experiencing negative chemical states or depression.
“There are times when I have sort of … a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression, I guess,” Musk said.
Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue.
But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 27, 2023
He obtained the ketamine legally via prescription from a doctor.
Musk implied his ketamine use benefits his businesses by improving his mental state and productivity.
He said he uses a “small amount once every other week.”
“Ketamine is useful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,” Musk added.
He noted that “from the standpoint of Wall Street, what matters is execution … From [the] investors’ standpoint, if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it.”
As the owner of Twitter, he also hoped discussing his treatment would help others.
Musk maintained he does not abuse the drug and cannot work as effectively if using too much.
“If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work,” he said.
Ketamine has shown promise in treating depression, particularly for patients who do not respond to other treatments.
As an anesthetic, it works differently than antidepressants by targeting different neurotransmitters.
When administered properly by medical professionals, it can rapidly reduce depression symptoms through IV or nasal spray use.
“There’s growing evidence that ketamine can be very effective for patients with depression who have not responded to other treatments,” Ketamine Treatment Program director Dr. William Prueitt said.
“These patients have what we call treatment-resistant depression, meaning they’ve tried at least two antidepressants (at sufficient doses and durations) that just haven’t worked,” he said.
“There’s growing evidence that ketamine can be very effective for patients with depression who have not responded to other treatments.”
“That is one proposed reason why it’s often successful where other medications are not,” he said.
“Ketamine provides rapid relief of symptoms, sometimes in as little as a few weeks,” said Prueitt.
“Patients can experience improved mood, renewed optimism and reduced negative thoughts.”
However, patients should not self-medicate and only use ketamine under medical supervision.
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