How Ketamine Therapy Works
Ketamine Treatment Can Help With
Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Bipolar, Suicidal Ideation, Substance Abuse, Migraine Headaches, Restless Leg Syndrome and Post-Partum Depression
Ketamine is a well-researched, dissociative anesthetic that was approved by the FDA in 1970. Since then, Ketamine has been used extensively for pediatric and adult treatment in surgery, emergency departments, ambulances, trauma medicine, and war zones. It is a commonly used medication in veterinary medicine.
The World Health Organization lists Ketamine as one of the most essential medications due to its therapeutic effects and wide margin of safety.
Over the last decade, Yale University and the National Institutes of Health identified additional benefits of Ketamine in treatment of mood disorders and chronic pain.
The use of Ketamine for depression has been named “the biggest discovery in mental health in decades.
A picture of a neuron
The neuron above shows new dendritic formations, or new neural growth, within just 2 hours of receiving ketamine. Ketamine’s effect on the human brain – how it interacts with the Medial prefrontal cortex and Hippocampus in regard to chronic pain, for instance – is open to debate. We know that ketamine, its derivative Esketamine, and ketamine-like drugs, have been shown to reduce some of the symptoms associated with mental disorders like anxiety and depression, and the aforementioned chronic pain.
A CT Scan of a Human Brain
After ketamine treatments, the depressed brain is almost identical to the non depressed picture as new neural activity has awakened the depressed areas. The amygdala, that part of the brain which handles fear and emotion and is more active in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may benefit from ketamine infusion therapy. The drug has been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for treatment of military veterans suffering from symptoms of PTSD. That part of the brain is also vital in how we deal with anxiety and depression, two mental health disorders whose symptoms have received much attention due to ketamine-related studies.
How Ketamine Treats Depression
Yale Medicine Explains:
"Depression is one of the most common and most debilitating mental health disorders, affecting some 17 million adults in the US. It also continues to be a misunderstood, often hard-to-treat illness. Researchers have worked for decades to better understand the neurobiology underpinning depression. For patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression, spending months or even years searching for good treatments can be totally disabling. The prevailing hypothesis for years was that depression was regulated by the neurotransmitter’s serotonin and norepinephrine. Eventually, data began to suggest that maybe something much larger and more global was involved in the brain to account for depression, which led researchers to begin working with glutamate and GABA, the most abundant neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals are involved in neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt to change and protect itself against stressful events. Neuroplasticity is a physical thing, too: it manifests itself “in terms of synapses, how these neurons are actually touching each other and communicating with each other,” explains Gerard Sanacora, PhD, MD, Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. “And we know that in depression, the number and strength of these interconnections decreases,” says Rachel Katz, MD, a professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Yale....Because Ketamine seems to work on a totally different system in the brain than typical antidepressants, “that may be why Ketamine works so well, even for patients who have not had success with a number of standard antidepressants,” says Dr. Katz".
Frequently Asked Questions
How many treatments will I need?
We recommend an initial protocol for patients who have never received ketamine treatment before. That protocol is six infusions within six weeks. After you have completed the initial protocol, there isn't a single treatment schedule that works for everyone. The number and frequency of future treatments depend on your individual circumstances, how you respond to treatment, and your clinical goals. Your provider will discuss an appropriate treatment plan with you and monitor your progress along the way.
Is ketamine therapy right for me?
Ketamine therapy isn't appropriate for everyone. Before treatment, you'll undergo an evaluation of your medical and mental health history, current medications, and treatment goals. Our clinical team will determine whether ketamine may be an appropriate option for you and will discuss potential benefits, risks, and alternatives.
What is ketamine infusion therapy?
Ketamine infusion therapy is a medically supervised treatment in which ketamine is administered intravenously at a carefully controlled dose. Ketamine affects several neurotransmitter systems, including the glutamate system, and may produce relatively rapid changes in mood and other symptoms for some patients. Treatment is individualized based on your medical history, symptoms, and treatment goals.