Comment by scythe | Hacker News Reader

Comment by scythe | Hacker News Reader

This is not the first trial of ketamine used under clinical anaesthesia to disguise its effects. A previous study using similar methods in 2018 found the usual effects of surgery: a transient increase in depressive symptoms. I'm no expert but my inclination is to blame this on postoperative pain.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000709121...

The confidence interval in the new study includes zero, although the average beneficial effect is still surprising when considering the usual expected negative effects. I suspect that the real effect may simply be that general anaesthesia causes a susceptibility to suggestion.

It's not clear if ketamine — or anything else — should be expected to work normally when it is administered to patients under general anesthesia. General anesthesia has profound effects on the functioning of the nervous system.

> It's not clear if ketamine — or anything else — should be expected to work normally when it is administered to patients under general anesthesia. General anesthesia has profound effects on the functioning of the nervous system.

Very much this! Additionally when discussing ketmaine it's method of action (NMDA receptor antagonist) specifically could be disrupted by the effects of another anesthetic compound.

Ketamine IV or compound medication without any other drugs is so profoundly different from Ketamine as part of a procedure where you’re otherwise unconscious.

Just no comparison.

Could you explain? What is the difference? I only had Ketamine once during surgery and I vividly remember the few hours after.

It of course depends on your IV dosage.

You can see and hear things that aren't there. Even have a conversation with mythical, religious, or spiritual entities.

You can experience 'past lives' (whether factual or not, which I don't believe so, experiencing something you THINK is a past life is interesting).

And it can go south with disturbing or dark imagery.

Sorry my question was not clear - I’m curious about the difference between experiencing Ketamine administered during general anesthesia (like I did) vs administered when conscious (same dosage).

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