Recent Feature: MarketWatch
Nushama’s co-founder Jay was recently featured in MarketWatch alongside industry leaders discussing the critical importance of medical supervision in ketamine therapy, and why Nushama currently only offers in-person treatment.
This story highlights concerns around at-home ketamine treatments and reinforces our dedication to safety. Jay’s insights confirm our belief that the best care is provided under expert supervision, ensuring efficacy and safety. Read what Jay had to say in the full article here.
What’s the Concern with At-Home Ketamine?
While ketamine can be a valuable treatment for certain mental health conditions when administered properly, the lack of regulation and oversight in the at-home setting has led to a concerning rise in overdoses, addiction, and predatory business practices.
The MarketWatch article described a prime example of the dangers of at-home ketamine therapy: the recent case of a 35-year-old woman who experienced a “massive unintentional ketamine overdose” after being instructed by her telehealth provider to swallow her saliva instead of spitting it.
The incident, reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, highlights the significant safety risks associated with this practice, as the patient was found to have a blood concentration of ketamine that was double the level typically used for general anesthesia. Fortunately, the patient was able to recover after receiving emergency treatment, but this incident serves as a stark warning of the potential consequences of unsupervised ketamine use.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. According to a 2023 survey by All Points North, a mental health company, about 55% of people who have tried at-home ketamine therapy reported either accidentally or intentionally using more than the recommended dose. This alarming statistic underscores the lack of understanding and oversight in the at-home administration of this powerful anesthetic.
Also mentioned in the article are the concerns raised by the emergency medicine doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center, re-echoed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has warned against the use of compounded ketamine without the close supervision of a healthcare
Furthermore, the growing industry of online ketamine providers has been criticized for their lack of transparency and potential for predatory business practices. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that many online ketamine advertisers did not disclose the risks of negative side effects, addiction, or misuse, and some even falsely described ketamine as non-addictive
In contrast, the FDA-approved use of ketamine-derived drugs, such as Spravato, is tightly controlled and requires patients to be monitored by a healthcare provider for at least two hours after each dose, due to the “risk of serious adverse outcomes resulting from sedation and dissociation” as well as the potential for abuse and misuse
Respected medical professionals, such as Houman Farzin, a lecturer at McGill University’s medical school and an attending physician at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, have emphasized the importance of in-person supervision for ketamine therapy. Farzin notes that the variable bioavailability of ketamine lozenges used for remote treatments can lead to patients receiving higher or lower doses than intended, posing significant physiological and psychological risks.
Read the full article here.
