[1024core]

Do you have to take it via an IV? Can taking it orally have similar benefits? I'm just curious why you need an IV.

[dfraser992]

Oral works as well - no pain in the nose, etc - but it does take more ketamine. As for the IV... these are doctors administrating it. An IV allows for more precision, and a point of the treatment, it seems, is to avoid the K-hole effect - which would seriously disturb a lot of patients.

If I was using opiates for a medical purpose, I would want to be precise - heroin vs making poppy tea.

[jschwartzi]

When you administer it to horses, it's also done IV but using a syringe. It may not necessarily be done using a bag and a drip.

[wavefunction]

You'd probably have to insufflate (snort) it. That's the recreational method for most users, at least.

[1024core]

Can't you just take a pill?

[joeyo]

Many drugs undergo first-pass metabolism by the liver and their metabolites are much less active or much more non-specific. I don't know if that is the case for ketamine, but I suspect that it must be.