Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dissociative anesthetic and tranquilizer: Ketamine is a medication primarily used for starting and maintaining anesthesia. It induces a trance-like state while providing pain relief, sedation, and memory loss. It is chemically distinct from barbiturates.
   • A substance of misuse: When taken in large, non-medical doses, ketamine can cause profound hallucinations, dissociation from one's environment, and altered perceptions, effects which are similar to those of the drug phencyclidine (PCP).

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Medical Context):
  • The veterinarian used ketamine to anesthetize the lion for its examination.
  • For the minor procedure, the doctor administered a low dose of ketamine.
• Noun (Non-Medical/Illicit Context):
  • The party drug was later identified as ketamine.
  • Abusing ketamine can lead to severe psychological distress.

Advanced Usage

• "Special K": A common street name for illicit ketamine.
  • Authorities warned about the dangers of "Special K" at music festivals.

Variants and Related Words

• Ketalar™: A brand name for ketamine hydrochloride used in medical settings.
• Ketamine hydrochloride: The chemical form of the drug used in pharmaceutical preparations.

Synonyms

• Anesthetic agent: A substance that induces anesthesia.
• Dissociative drug: A class of hallucinogen that distorts perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment from the self and environment.

Related Terms and Context

• PCP (Phencyclidine): An illicit drug known for causing similar hallucinogenic and dissociative effects at high doses, often referenced in relation to ketamine's psychoactive properties.
• General anesthetic: A drug that brings about a reversible loss of consciousness, a category to which ketamine belongs for medical use.
• Tranquilizer: A drug designed to reduce anxiety, fear, or tension, a property of ketamine in controlled doses.

Noun

1. a general anesthetic and tranquilizer (not a barbiturate) that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly; used mainly by veterinarians or for minor surgery with geriatric or pediatric patients; taken in large doses it causes hallucinations similar to those associated with the use of PCP