Dissociative Anesthetic
PharmacologyA drug class that produces a sense of detachment from body and environment alongside pain relief and sedation.
Example: Ketamine is the clearest case — see our coverage of why it's already approved and prescribed while classic psychedelics in the same broad category aren't.
What is a dissociative anesthetic?
A drug class that produces a sense of detachment from body and environment, alongside pain relief and sedation — distinct from classic psychedelics, which primarily alter perception without the same anesthetic action.
What's an example of a dissociative anesthetic?
Ketamine is the clearest case, and the only one in this class currently FDA-approved for a psychiatric indication, as esketamine (Spravato) for treatment-resistant depression. See our coverage of why it's already approved and prescribed while classic psychedelics aren't.
What other drugs are dissociative anesthetics?
PCP and dextromethorphan (DXM, found in some cough medicines) work on the same NMDA-receptor mechanism as ketamine, though only ketamine currently has an approved psychiatric use.