You generally can’t compare recreational and prescribed drug use, even for the same substance, because the doses tend to be widely different.

A lot of people take amphetamines as a medically prescribed treatment for ADHD (and other conditions such as narcolepsy too). A lot of people take amphetamines recreationally. Studies done on the negative heath consequences for recreational users are largely irrelevant to medically prescribed users, because your average recreational dose is an order of magnitude (or more) higher than the average prescribed dose. Increase the dose ten-told, it acts like a different drug altogether.

Plus, the irregular dosing schedule of recreational users probably isn’t helping either. And many recreational users try to get the drug into their bloodstream as fast as possible (injection, snorting, smoking), while most prescription drugs aim to be released more gradually (oral route, sometimes even extended release or an inactive prodrug such as Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine)

The person you're replying to, from my interpretation, is saying that their friend had a ketamine infusion at a clinic. Nowhere do they mention recreational use

> Studies done on the negative heath consequences for recreational users are largely irrelevant to medically prescribed users, because your average recreational dose is an order of magnitude (or more) higher than the average prescribed dose. Increase the dose ten-told, it acts like a different drug altogether.

What you're saying applies in other cases, but in the case of ketamine, the recreational dose is one or two orders of magnitude lower than the clinical dose.

Right it varies greatly depending on dose. If you don't know the exact dose your friend took (they don't sound like an anesthesiologist) then you're insulting someone you likely know much less than.

Clinics in the US seem to all use .5 mg/kg as a baseline

I vouched for your comment since it is relevant. I assume it was dead because you're new.

Email sent. Thank you, stranger :)

I think possibly commercial “infusion clinics” and medical trials use different doses.

Going by a friends experience, infusion clinics need to be investigated more regularly by medical professionals. Co-worker went to one for treatment and from her recollection of the event they left her in a dark room with a white noise generator while she went down the k-hole. Terrified the living shit out of her.

That’s awful. I’ve also read about shady clinics in the US that don’t really screen their patients but just give the drug to anyone who pays. E.g. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-ketamine-b...

Same dose for me. .5 mg/kg

It was more intense and less intense at the same time because I did not know what to expect.

IM and IV are going to be very similar. Smaller independent psychologist will do IM while bigger clinics with nursing staff will typically use IV.

At home treatments with sublingual trockies have much less side affects, but differently still noticeable. Nasal spray is the weakest with just some minor body numbing.

You can look at the study yourself to see what dosage was administered, then compare that to user-reported experiences on erowid if you're curious. And the study itself lists out the side effects they experienced.