Providing ketamine therapy for depression, PTSD, OCD, anxiety and certain types of chronic nerve pain
Why ketamine?
Ketamine is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. It was first developed in the 1960s as an anesthetic during the Vietnam War. Over the past few decades, however, researchers have discovered its incredible ability to rapidly and effectively treat depression, PTSD, bipolar depression, anxiety, OCD, migraines, CRPS, and certain types of chronic nerve pain.
One in four (25%) of patients suffering from depression, anxiety, or PTSD fail to improve with counseling and antidepressants. In this treatment resistant group, 3 out of 4 get rapid relief with IV ketamine infusion therapy, most after their first infusion.
When ketamine works, it isn’t subtle. Many responders remark that “they can’t remember feeling this good before.” These kind of responses make doing this work incredibly rewarding as we help people get their lives back.
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Fast-Acting
– Whereas most antidepressants require weeks or even months to have an effect, ketamine usually begins working within a matter of hours. Most patients experience significant relief after their first few treatments. Depression, anxiety, pain, and other forms of stress damage the communication system between areas of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and higher-order thinking. Treatment with ketamine rapidly relieved the abnormal behaviors and symptoms. The drug also quickly restores the coordinated activity of prefrontal neural circuits that were disrupted by chronic stress. It does so by triggering a cascading sequence of events in the brain, which ultimately results in the growth of new connections between neurons (brain cells) in the prefrontal cortex (front part of your brain).
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Effective
– Ketamine can effectively treat a variety of mental health and chronic nerve pain disorders and has the scientific research to prove it. This is true even for those who have not responded to traditional treatments in the past.
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Safe
– Ketamine has an excellent safety profile when given by a trained medical professional. The dose given to treat mental health and chronic nerve pain conditions is significantly lower than that required during anesthesia. The dose used for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders is very low and safe. During ketamine treatments, blood pressure and heart rate may minimally increase but not sufficiently to cause issues. Short-term side effects are uncommon but may include mild increase in blood pressure and heart rate, dizziness, temporary blurred vision, sensation of “lightness” , euphoria, and nausea. Our patients are monitored continuously to ensure safety and medications to treat any sides effects such as nausea are readily available. There are no long-term side effects.
It is possible to notice effects within 24 hours of a ketamine infusion. Many patients begin to benefit from symptom improvement within 2-4 hours, in some patients it may take up to 24-48 hours.
For mental health conditions, most know within 2-3 infusions ketamine will help you. Some require all 6 initial infusions before they notice a difference. When it works, the changes are quite dramatic, not subtle at all. Ketamine responders feel less emotional pain, more hopeful, less sad, fewer thoughts of suicide, increased calmness, or become more inclined to engage with people. Additional improvements are often seen further into the course of treatment. If you are having positive results, it is recommended to have up to 6 total infusions within the first 3 weeks. After that, maintenance (booster) infusions may be scheduled to maintain response. The total length of treatment is highly dependent on each individual’s unique circumstances and results.
