Elon Musk he takes ketamine to improve his mental health. In fact, the revelation was made by the billionaire in an interview broadcast on YouTube.

When asked about drug use, Musk – the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX – replied: “There are times when I kind of have… a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression, I guess”. Also, the “strong man” mentioned that he uses “a small amount of ketamine, once every two weeks.”

Ketamine was first synthesized in 1962 and used in Belgium in 1963. It was used as an anesthetic and analgesic mainly in veterinary medicine, and more rarely in humans. Usually, its administration is intravenous or intramuscular. Due to the complexity of its manufacture, ketamine marketed for euphoric use is believed to originate from the illegal disposal of legal stocks. Illegal ketamine pills have also been found to contain pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, caffeine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and MDMA as adulterants.

Ketamine has been shown to have powerful effects on the brain, particularly in people suffering from depression, according to Dr. William Prueitt, director of the ketamine treatment program at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, as reported by Fox News. Studies with ketamine have shown promising results for chronic suicidal tendencies, PTSD symptoms, and depression.

“There is growing evidence that ketamine can be very effective for patients with depression who have not responded to other treatments”, Prueitt said. Ketamine works differently than traditional antidepressants. It targets different neurotransmitters in the brain, according to the director. The drug can be given in multiple ways, but the main methods are by nasal spray or intravenous infusions.

However, there may be risks when administered in unsupervised settings. “Patients should not self-medicate and should receive ketamine treatments only after appropriate psychiatric evaluation and medical control”he added.