Esketamine
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki, PubChem)
- dose data not in PW/TripSit (unverifiable)
- 3 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki, PubChem)
- dose data not in PW/TripSit (unverifiable)
Aliases: Spravato, Ketanest, Ketanest s
Summary
Ketamine (also known as Ket, K, Special K, vitamin K, Kitty, and others) is a classical dissociative substance of the arylcyclohexylamine class. It is perhaps the best-known and archetypal member of the dissociatives, a diverse group which includes PCP, methoxetamine, DXM, and nitrous oxide. The mechanism of action is not fully known, although blocking of the NMDA glutamate receptor is thought to be involved.
Dose Information
Dose basis. Insufflated: Medical intranasal product is delivered as 28 mg per device (two sprays of 14 mg). Mean absolute bioavailability ≈48%; peak plasma levels about 20–40 minutes after the last spray. For harm reduction: titrate cautiously, space sprays, remain seated, and avoid redosing rapidly due to delayed peak. Doses below reflect medical device sessions; powder outside medical settings varies and poses additional risks. Evidence mainly from labeling summaries and harm-reduction orgs. Intramuscular: Parenteral use outside clinical settings carries significant risks (sterility, dosing errors, sudden incapacitation). If used, IM is safer than IV for non-clinical contexts. Values synthesized from HR sources that collate clinical and community data; variability is high between individuals. (Dose figures and this note are from Drugs.Wiki.)
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insufflated | 28-56mg | 56-84mg | 84mg+ | - |
| Intramuscular | 0.15-0.3mg/kg | 0.3-0.5mg/kg | 0.5-0.75mg/kg | 0.75-1mg/kg+ |
| Intravenous | 0.1-0.25mg/kg | 0.25-0.5mg/kg | 0.5-0.8mg/kg | 0.8-1mg/kg+ |
Sources
Insufflated
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiIntramuscular
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiIntravenous
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiOnset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insufflated | 5-15 min | 5-15 min | 20-60 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.49-3.5 hrs |
| Intramuscular | 2-10 min | 5-15 min | 30-60 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.61-3.42 hrs |
| Intravenous | 1-5 min | 2-5 min | 10-30 min | 45-90 min | 0.97-2.16 hrs |
Effect Profile
Scores (0–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Strong dissociative depth with strong motor impairment, mild mania and insight
Tolerance
Tolerance Decay
Rapid tolerance to subjective dissociation is commonly reported with repeated (daily or multi‑day) use and often partially decays over several days to weeks; estimates above are heuristic and based on community/HR summaries rather than controlled PK/PD studies.
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
Effect glossary — · full glossary
- Physical enhancement
Combinations
Cross-Check Esketamine with another substanceHelpful Links
Add missing routes to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal app already has Esketamine, but its built-in entry only covers Insufflated, Oral. Here are the other routes we have data for. You can't edit a built-in substance, but you can add a Custom Unit for any of these routes to log it.
- Intramuscularcommon ~ 0.4 mg/kg
- Intravenouscommon ~ 0.38 mg/kg
Esketamine: routes the PsychonautWiki Journal app is missing Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Intramuscular dose (mg/kg): threshold 0.15 · light 0.15-0.3 · common 0.3-0.5 · strong 0.5-0.75 · heavy 0.75-1+ Intravenous dose (mg/kg): threshold 0.1 · light 0.1-0.25 · common 0.25-0.5 · strong 0.5-0.8 · heavy 0.8-1+ Intramuscular duration: onset 2-10m · come-up 5-15m · peak 0.5-1h · offset 1-2h · total 1.61-3.42h · after-effects 2-24h Intravenous duration: onset 1-5m · come-up 2-5m · peak 10-30m · offset 0.75-1.5h · total 0.97-2.16h · after-effects 2-24h Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.
Custom Units carry a single dose per route, so the full ranges live in the reference above. A route's suggested dose is the midpoint of its common range. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Report an issue or suggest an edit
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