Musk, ketamine and productivity
Take ketamine to ensure good results. This would be the medical prescription that Elon Musk follows for the good of investors. But what are the effects and when is it prescribed?
The wolf loses its fur but not its vice. After the Wall Street Journal 's revelations at the beginning of January about Elon Musk's consumption of various drugs, the billionaire is back in the spotlight for the same reason. This time the focus is entirely on ketamine, taken by the Tesla CEO – under medical prescription – "in the best interests of investors", as he declared in an interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
But what is it for and what impact can it have on Musk's many companies?
MUSK AND DRUG USE
At the beginning of the year, the Wall Street Journal dedicated a long article to Musk's – not exactly orthodox – habits. In particular, the consumption of certain drugs was explored, including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine. A habit which, however, worries some executives and members of the boards of directors of its companies, such as Tesla and SpaceX, who fear the damage that such news could cause to their image.
The interested party had rejected the accusations, claiming that he had never tested positive in the random drug tests carried out for three years by NASA – "the space agency of the United States government with which it has billion-dollar contracts", comments Wired .
On that occasion there was talk above all of the use that Musk had made of it on "recreational" occasions, parties, festivals and events, but now, according to what he himself declared, ketamine is periodically prescribed to him by his doctor and it is in the best interest of investors because “what matters for Wall Street is execution”. “So from an investor perspective, if I'm taking something I should continue to take it,” Musk explained .
The WSJ had also revealed that the billionaire would have pressured current or former executives of his companies to follow him in his habits.
USES AND EFFECTS OF KETAMINE
Cause of the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, at the end of October 2023, due to its "acute effects", ketamine is an anesthetic with psychedelic properties. According to the New York Times , in addition to being used recreationally, “it has become increasingly popular as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health problems.” It disturbs the perception of sight and sound and makes people who take it feel detached from pain and their surroundings. May have hallucinogenic effects.
Developed as a field anesthetic in the 1960s in the United States, ketamine has been legal for use on people and animals since 1970 and, according to the NYT , “is often used as an anesthetic for children, especially in developing countries. development". As a sedative in surgery it is administered intravenously but can be found in the form of powder, crystals or tablets which are often mixed with other substances such as heroin or cocaine.
MOOD STABILIZER?
Its psychiatric use is not yet approved or regulated but it is increasingly prescribed off label (i.e. for unauthorized indications) for the treatment of depression, suicidal ideation and chronic pain.
Musk said he takes the drug as prescribed periodically to treat what he described as "chemical tides" that lead to depression-like symptoms.
In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a ketamine derivative, called Esketamine, in a nasal spray to treat resistant depression, and an Italian study also observed its effects for treating depressive symptoms in the context of the disorder bipolar.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/musk-la-ketamina-e-la-produttivita/ on Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:29:47 +0000.