Telemedicine companies like Peak advertise psychedelic therapy on TikTok. Some experts worry the hands-off approach could put patients at risk.
Potential risks of using ketamine include a spike in heart rate or blood pressure, or people becoming distressed as a result of its dissociative effects, explains John Keilp, PhD, associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia medical school and research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. His clinic employs trained professionals to carefully supervise patients before, during, and a few hours after taking ketamine.
Of Peak’s cheerful ads, Estrada says there is a danger in depicting ketamine as a substance akin to a harmless supplement, rather than a clinical treatment. “It’s a paradigm shift in how we understand and treat depression,” says Estrada. “To have it be dumbed down and marketed to people who are just sad and not clinically depressed — that’s dangerous, for sure.
This was the experience of both Nikki and Jillian Scheel, a 30-year-old human resources manager at a cannabis tech company who came across Peak via one of their TikTok ads. Scheel wasn’t immediately entranced by Peak’s ad strategy: “It could’ve been done better,” she says, pointing out that many in the comments expressed concern that ketamine was being marketed to young people on “a children’s app.
Mike says that in retrospect, it seems like the care coordinator “was pushing me towards getting it.” Nonetheless, the pitch was effective: a few days later, he received his first dose of 120 mg in the mail, which was bumped up to 250 mg the following month. He was told to have a friend or family member check in throughout his experience, so he asked his roommate to periodically come into his room during the first session, “to make sure I wasn’t dead or anything.
Scheel says that, during the intake conversation, she was asked if she took benzodiazepines, and was initially rejected by Peak because she had been taking Xanax. After her therapist wrote a letter indicating she had discontinued the medication, Peak accepted her. Estrada says that while he would continue to prescribe ketamine to a patient taking benzodiazepines, as long as they agreed to not take it the morning of treatment, “giving medications without a full assessment seems troubling to me.
on Peak’s website does not ask about benzodiazepines or alcohol, though it does ask if prospective patients are “actively struggling with substance abuse” or if they have been diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenia, things the doctorsspoke with say they also ask their patients. “Each patient is screened thoroughly by expert board-certified medical providers to determine clinical eligibility as well as appropriateness for telemedicine management,” says Scott.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canadian hiker dies after collapsing at New Hampshire peakA Canadian hiker died earlier this week while tackling a Mount Washington trail in New Hampshire. The Quebec man had complained of shortness of breath.
Read more »
Hong Kong's Peak Tram reopens after 14 monthsThe service welcomes back passengers even as tight coronavirus restrictions remain.
Read more »
Bitcoin has crashed 68% from its peak — but one bull says the latest crypto winter is a 'warm winter'Bitcoin may have fallen by more than half from record levels but 'there's so much more than that,' according to Edith Yeung, a general partner at Race Capital.
Read more »
Rema & Selena Gomez’s Collaboration ‘Calm Down’ Is Here: Stream It NowThe original verison of the track just hit a new peak of No. 56 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
Read more »
TikTok-Favorite K18 Just Launched Shampoos, and Yes, They're Just as Good as the MaskBelieve me, I'm a tough critic and I loved them. Here's why.
Read more »
Threats to halt holiday deliveries after contractors demand FedEx change terms of agreementsMany may not realize that some drivers seen wearing FedEx uniforms are actually working for contractors and not directly employed by FedEx itself. There is a growing problem between FedEx and these contractors, who deliver a huge amount of the packages.
Read more »