Ketamine
Hacker ApprovedTied for most recommended of 11 antidepressants
People recommend ketamine for rapid relief from depression, often calling it better than SSRIs. Critics say it is costly, helps only some people, and causes bladder damage and addiction.
People recommend ketamine for rapid relief from depression, often calling it better than SSRIs. Critics say it is costly, helps only some people, and causes bladder damage and addiction.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 71%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fast, noticeable relief from symptoms
“clinical ketamine use has been borderline magical in readily perceptible improvements”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “Terence McKenna's Mega Bad Trip” “IV Ketamine can yield not only immediate relief in a chemical sense”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A psychedelic medicine performs well against depression” “ketamin and legal meth can return you to being a functional and happy human”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Headway Therapy Patients Forced to Scan Their Faces to Keep Getting Care” Useful bridge or alternative to SSRIs
“They're not good long-term options though, so they're best used to start treatment as a bridge to SSRI efficacy.”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “are all significantly better than handing someone an SSRI”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” Low side effects when used responsibly
“previous promising success with what I understand to be low risk side effects”
Comment from 20 May 2026 in “Scientists believe ibogaine can help veterans overcome PTSD” “Ketamine is a pretty safe drug when used responsibly and occasionally”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Bladder damage and incontinence
“not as destructive to every cell in the body. Except your bladder.”
Comment from 5 Feb 2026 in “Study: Older Cannabis Users Have Larger Brains, Better Cognition” “Most Ketamine users are unaware that even occasional usage causes untreatable ulcerative cystitis”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “John C. Lilly on solid state intelligence and the elimination of man (1978)” “also can give you chronic incontinence”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Ketamine may fight chronic fatigue, study suggests” Addiction and overdose risks
“Ketamine treats symptoms and is more like a bandaid from what I see, and comes with its own problems (addiction)”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “Terence McKenna's Mega Bad Trip” “without stating its OD dangers giving it the appearance of a safe alternative”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?”
Other antidepressants people recommend
The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KetamineThis page | 12 | 5 | 71% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Prozac | 12 | 28 | 30% | 4 | 15 yrs3 owners | — |
| Bupropion | 12 | 3 | 80% | 4 | 3 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Lexapro | 8 | 4 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| Fluoxetine | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
20 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“How wonderful for you to be dependent on quacks and pseudoscience.”
“are all significantly better than handing someone an SSRI”
“They're not good long-term options though, so they're best used to start treatment as a bridge to SSRI efficacy.”
“Both treatments can be miraculous for a few select people and it makes a good headline, but it's a total failure for the majority of people.”
“Ketamin should have huge impacts on neuro/brain plasticity when used properly”
“Most Ketamine users are unaware that even occasional usage causes untreatable ulcerative cystitis”
“clinical ketamine use has been borderline magical in readily perceptible improvements”
“Ketamine treats symptoms and is more like a bandaid from what I see, and comes with its own problems (addiction)”
“Ketamine is a pretty safe drug when used responsibly and occasionally”
“without stating its OD dangers giving it the appearance of a safe alternative”
“Ketamine is neurotoxic itself and can cause permanent brain damage.”
“I'd recommend ketamine if you want to experiment like that.”
“Ketamine would be a more effective treatment that would be super cheap for them”
“ketamin and legal meth can return you to being a functional and happy human”
“previous promising success with what I understand to be low risk side effects”
“also can give you chronic incontinence”
“IV Ketamine can yield not only immediate relief in a chemical sense”
“not as destructive to every cell in the body. Except your bladder.”
“Ketamine has been very helpful as well but that is unfortunately unnecessarily spendy.”
“The biggest risk seemed to be temporarily becoming a relatively inanimate part of the infrastructure there, and even that was a sort of pleasant and satisfying state.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.