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Comment by cess11 | Hacker News Reader

You might want to take a look at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3713393/.

In animal models it also seems like the dopaminergic effects are strong enough to cause midbrain downregulation and lower dopamine neuron density. If you've ever taken ketamine recreationally you've likely noticed the very strong dopaminergic effects, though maybe not been able to classify them as such.

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Interesting, thanks. Whilst ".2G Twice a week, for 6 months" doesn't strike me as a lot- could be someone who just goes clubbing twice a week- apparently enough to cause brain lesions. Anyone know if the study is reputable, or could answer the question whether the "lesions" could be something like regions of the brain responsible for/exacerbating mental issues which have been altered by the treatment- ie, the method of action for treatment.

You are more likely to get brain lesions from DXM, called Olney's lesions, but it could happen from any NMDA receptor antagonists.

I have taken smaller, and larger doses of ketamine before, I personally did not experience the claimed strong dopaminergic effects.

What was I supposed to experience for this dopaminergic effects? Maybe I could tell you.

At dissociative doses ketamine typically induces a strong feeling of expectation, of something fantastic or important being imminent, things like that. To some people this takes a religious form, like (almost) coming into communication with some ethereal being or (almost) reach some mystical insight.

It can cause a strong urge to redose.

Do you recognise any of this?

I went into a k-hole (a few times) where I was seeing myself from the outside (with all my flaws and faults being shown to me), and I remember my then-girlfriend slipping away from me and I tried to grab into her but she slipped away, and I remember being locked in time (not sure how to explain it). I did DXM too, that was less clean than ketamine and DXM had more of an alienish-vibe to it and I ended up watching Stargate Atlantis on it, that was fun, but ketamine had me self-reflect quite a lot.

About expectations & imminent, it made me want to change the way I live as I am pretty much a reclusive.

I wish I could explain it better but I really can't. I never felt an urge to re-dose, however.

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