Glossary Articles
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MADRS Score Explained in Ketamine Clinical Trials
MADRS is the 10-item scale most ketamine and esketamine trials use to measure depression severity. Learn how scoring, response, and remission work.
Ketamine Emergence Reaction: Definition & Symptoms
A ketamine emergence reaction is the confusion, vivid dreams, or agitation that can occur as the drug wears off. Learn causes, symptoms, and management.
Ketamine Dissociation Meaning: A Clear Definition
Learn what ketamine dissociation means, why it happens during treatment, and how it differs from other effects. Explore the full glossary.
Dissociative Anesthetic: Definition, Drug Class & Examples
Plain-language guide to dissociative anesthetics, what the term means, which drugs belong to this class, and why ketamine is categorized this way.
Enantiomer: Definition and Relevance to Ketamine
An enantiomer is a mirror-image molecular form. Learn how ketamine's two enantiomers, S-ketamine (esketamine) and R-ketamine (arketamine), differ.
Norketamine: Ketamine's Primary Metabolite Explained
What norketamine is, its half-life, pharmacological activity vs parent ketamine, and why this metabolite is central to how oral and sublingual ketamine work.
Schedule III Controlled Substance: Ketamine's DEA Classification Explained
Why ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance: DEA criteria, prescribing rules, refill limits, telehealth implications, and how it compares to II and IV.
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid): The Brain's Primary Inhibitory Neurotransmitter
A definition of GABA — the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter — and its relationship to ketamine's mechanism of action and therapeutic effects.
Sub-Anesthetic Dose: The Therapeutic Range for Ketamine in Depression
A definition of sub-anesthetic dosing — the low-dose ketamine range used to treat depression — including typical dosages, rationale, and how it differs from anesthetic use.
First-Pass Metabolism: How Liver Processing Affects Oral Ketamine
A definition of first-pass metabolism — the hepatic processing that reduces oral drug bioavailability — and its specific impact on oral ketamine formulations.
Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD): Definition, Criteria, and Significance for Ketamine
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) defined: clinical criteria, the two-failed-trials threshold, and why TRD is the primary indication for ketamine therapy.
Serotonin Syndrome: Risks, Symptoms, and Relevance to Ketamine Therapy
Serotonin syndrome explained: symptoms, drug combinations that trigger it, and why patients on SSRIs or MAOIs need to discuss the risk before starting ketamine.
Racemic Mixture: S-Ketamine and R-Ketamine Enantiomers Explained
A definition of racemic mixture in the context of ketamine therapy — explaining the S and R enantiomers, their different pharmacological profiles, and clinical implications.