The blurry line between medical ketamine use and abuse for Elon Musk’s favorite drug, explained.

Ketamine seems to be everywhere — from the nightclub to the psychiatric clinic. Among its growing number of users is Elon Musk, who says he takes ketamine every two weeks for depression as prescribed by a doctor. He’s far from alone: More and more Americans are turning to ketamine for relief for their mental health struggles.

But the New York Times reported recently that Musk was taking so much ketamine during last year’s presidential campaign, sometimes daily, that he reportedly told people it was causing him bladder problems, a known symptom of chronic ketamine use. Musk’s reported experience with the drug — from medical to possibly abusive — provides a window into ketamine’s growing popularity in the United States, and the paradox that popularity presents.

Ketamine, both an anesthetic and a hallucinogen, was first synthesized in the 1960s and has long been used for surgery and veterinary medicine. More recently, it has shown remarkable effectiveness in alleviating symptoms of depression, particularly in treatment-resistant populations. Clinics administering the drug — which legally must be licensed by the government to provide intravenous infusions — are becoming more popular. The Food and Drug Administration approved the first ketamine-derived nasal spray for depression in 2019.

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