Red River Ketamine Wellness Center

Coping with PTSD

Red River Ketamine Wellness Center — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:35:41 +0000

Each day can be a struggle when living with PTSD. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that develops after a traumatic event that causes prolonged fear, emotional and physical stress, and vivid flashbacks. Many people associate PTSD to military members and veterans, specifically men above the age of 16. But PTSD knows no age or gender and impacts approximately 8 million Americans every year.

There are ways to cope with PTSD that help make each day less of a struggle. Follow these suggestions to help manage your PTSD on a daily basis.

Mindfulness

People with PTSD experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. It is very important for these individuals to find time in their day for prayer, meditation, or other mindfulness techniques. This can be helpful for the strength of our body and mind. If it seems daunting or impossible, remember there is no right way to perform these tasks. Just to find calmness within yourself.

Experts suggest beginning with one or two minutes per day of quiet mindfulness. The goal of that time is to stay focused on the present without any threat of fear or judgment. Gradually add more time as you go, offering yourself moments to experience a sense of calm and learn how to balance yourself if you begin to feel overwhelmed or anxious.

Exercise

Moving our bodies and getting fresh air can be beneficial in coping with PTSD. Exercise helps regulate mood and emotions. Just as it is important to learn how to calm your mind, it is also important to get your body moving. Research shows that physical exercise helps our brains better cope with stress. Just a 10-minute walk per day can benefit our mood and help to relieve anxiety and depression. Here are some things to keep in mind as you get started:

Find an activity you enjoy
Set small goals
Be consistent
Listen to music or podcasts
Ask a friend to join you
Be patient with yourself
Drink plenty of fluids
Make sure to dress for the weather

Participate in Counseling for PTSD

Talking with a professional such as a counselor or therapist can be very helpful when you are struggling with PTSD, even if it might feel a bit intimidating.

A key element to long term success is talking to a trained person who is available to offer support and guidance in your recovery. Find someone you feel comfortable with, that you find trustworthy and knowledgeable, and be consistent in attending your sessions.

Keep a Journal

Journaling is a helpful technique to help people relax and collect their thoughts. It offers a place to go back and reflect on past experiences. Research shows that people who keep a journal decrease occurrences of flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive memories. Journaling helps them slowly reconnect to people and places that they may otherwise want to avoid.

Other coping strategies include:

Flashbacks can be very distressing, but there are things you can do that might help. You could:

Focus on your breathing. When you are frightened, breathing becomes abnormal. This increases feelings of fear and panic. It’s important to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
Carry an object that reminds you of the present. Some people find it helpful to touch or look at a particular object during a flashback. Keep something that brings your calmness and peace in your purse or pocket to help when an unsettling thought appears.
Tell yourself that you are safe. It may be hard to think you are safe during a flashback. If so, write it down on a piece of paper and keep it close and read it while you are feeling unsettled.
Comfort yourself. Curl up in a blanket, cuddle with a pet, listen to soothing music or watch your favorite movie.
Keep a diary. Making a note of what happens when you have a flashback could help you spot patterns in what triggers these experiences for you. You might also learn to notice early signs as they are beginning to happen.
Try grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can keep you connected to the present and help you cope with flashbacks or intrusive thoughts. For example, you could describe your surroundings out loud or count objects of a particular type or color. (See our page on self-care for dissociative disorders for more information on grounding techniques.)

Ketamine Infusion Therapy for PTSD

Research shows Ketamine Infusion Therapy can help ease anxiety and depression linked to PTSD. Do you struggle with PTSD, or depression and anxiety related to your PTSD? We’d love to meet you and see if Ketamine Infusion Therapy may help you. rrkwc.com/depression-treatment-in-lawton-ok/.

Sources:

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September is Pain Awareness Month

Red River Ketamine Wellness Center — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:48:54 +0000

September is Pain Awareness month, a full month of spreading awareness about the causes, treatments, and management of pain and chronic pain disorders.

Pain Awareness month originated in 2001 when a coalition of members from The American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) sought to establish a time of the year to focus on individuals who experience chronic pain in any region of their body, subsequently impacting their daily lives. The purpose of Pain Awareness Month is to recognize the many different forms of pain and areas of persistent pain we or loved ones experience and how we can manage this kind of pain as it progresses throughout our lives.

Common Sites for Persistent Pain

The most common sites of pain and chronic pain in adults include:

headache.
post-surgical pain.
post-trauma pain.
lower back pain.
pain associated with cancer.
arthritis pain.
neurogenic pain (pain caused by nerve damage)
psychogenic pain (pain that isn’t caused by disease, injury, or nerve damage)

Causes of Chronic Pain

There can be many causes of chronic pain, including:

chronic fatigue syndrome: characterized by extreme, prolonged weariness that’s often accompanied by pain.
endometriosis: a painful disorder that occurs when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus.
fibromyalgia: widespread pain in the bones and muscles.
rheumatoid arthritis: a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints, typically resulting in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest.
CRPS: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that most often affects one limb (arm, leg, hand, or foot) typically after an extreme injury.
inflammatory bowel disease: a group of conditions that causes painful, chronic inflammation in the digestive tract.
interstitial cystitis: a chronic disorder marked by bladder pressure and pain.
temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ): a condition that causes painful clicking, popping, or locking of the jaw.
vulvodynia: chronic vulva pain that occurs with no obvious cause.

Pain Prevalence in Women vs. Men

Men and women can be prone to different pain sites, longevity, and severity. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), women generally report experiencing more recurrent pain, severe paint, and longer-lasting symptoms of pain than men. Doctors suspect different reasons for this statistic is related to higher occurrences of extreme changes in hormone levels in women vs men, endometriosis diagnosis on the rise, and more painful conditions that show a greater prevalence in women like migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and osteoarthritis.

Although women do report a higher level of pain and more instances of persistent pain than men, they are less likely to seek help or treatment.

Ketamine Infusion Therapy could be the solution for your persistent pain. Don’t put off scheduling a free consultation if you are struggling with chronic pain, or other conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OCD. We’re here for you, and we would love to discuss your treatment options.

Disclaimer

Red River Ketamine Wellness Center does not provide specific medical advice for individual cases via our website. Red River Ketamine Wellness Center does not endorse any medical practices, individuals, or professional services obtained through information provided on our website, articles on the site, or any links on this site.

Use of the information obtained via our website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.

While content is frequently updated, medical information changes rapidly. Information may contain inaccuracies or typographical errors and/or be out of date. For questions or concerns, please contact us at albert007rn1@gmail.com.

Resources:

The CDC: https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain

The IASP: www.iasp-pain.org

Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain#causes

The post September is Pain Awareness Month appeared first on Red River Ketamine Wellness Center.

How much time do I need for Ketamine Treatments?

Red River Ketamine Wellness Center — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:40:06 +0000

When you decide to give up on traditional medications to manage mental health conditions like depression and consider Ketamine Infusion Therapy, it is normal to have questions. You may wonder if this will just be another treatment option you wait on for weeks just to find out it doesn’t help you at all. After all, antidepressants often take 4-8 weeks to make a difference, and you may continue to need them for months after depression improves. Patients also usually take antidepressant medications daily, sometimes making this regimen difficult to follow.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is one option to avoid daily medication. This non-invasive procedure which uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression requires 36 daily sessions over 6-8 weeks! Who has time for that?

Ketamine treatments, on the other hand, are less time consuming than TMS and require less effort on your part than taking daily medication. Ketamine has shown to often provide immediate relief of severe symptoms affecting your mental health. If you think Ketamine is something you are interested in trying, reach out to us. We will set you up with an initial evaluation during which one of our providers will assess your symptoms, and health and medical history and recommend treatment options that are best for you.

Initial treatments

We recommend administering Ketamine in a series of infusions every other day. This series typically requires six infusions to have lasting effects. Many practitioners commonly agreed that a series of six infusions is the most effective treatment regimen.

During your treatment, you should expect to spend about 60-90 minutes in our office if receiving treatments for mental health conditions. Treatment for chronic pain requires about four-five hours of your time.

During your initial series of treatments, you will experience a significant decrease in symptoms of around 50% or even complete remission. You may notice feeling significantly better in 1 or 2 infusions. However, it is very important to fully complete this series of treatments. Sticking to your treatment plan helps you achieve optimal, lasting symptom reduction.

Maintenance treatments

After completing the initial series of treatments, your treatment becomes even more personalized. During this initial maintenance phase, it is possible you will return for two infusions over the course of one week. We encourage you to keep in touch and let us know how you are feeling. These treatments are important to maintain remission and keep you from experiencing symptoms.

Booster treatments

The frequency of booster treatments varies from person to person. Some patients request 1 or 2 infusions per month to proactively prevent the resurgence of symptoms. Others return for their booster infusions 3 or 4 months after the completion of their initial infusions. Each person’s condition is different. Therefore, each ketamine treatment plan is very personalized to achieve remission.

Don’t put off scheduling a free consultation if you are struggling with conditions such as anxiety, chronic pain, depression, PTSD, and OCD. We’re here for you, and we would love to discuss your treatment options.

Disclaimer

Use of the information obtained via our website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.

The post How much time do I need for Ketamine Treatments? appeared first on Red River Ketamine Wellness Center.

Depression: Taking it One Day at a Time

Red River Ketamine Wellness Center — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 01:52:58 +0000

Depression. It drains you. Oftentimes, you know the things that will make you feel better, but you just can’t seem to find it in you to make yourself do it. Your drive, hope, energy- it’s all just nonexistent. The thought of even making the effort to get better is exhausting.

No one wants to open up about something sad and heavy like depression, but you should not give in to the thought that you are all alone in how you feel. After all, it is estimated that 15% of the adult population experiences depression at some point in their lifetime.

Although recovery is difficult, you must know, even when it is hard to believe, that recovery IS possible! You are more capable than you give yourself credit for, even in cases where depression is severe and stubbornly persistent.

Here are four ways you can combat depression each day.

Mood-boosting activities

So, what’s the secret to success? Every day, you must build on doing normal, mental health-boosting activities. You may not have much energy, so start small. Draw on all your reserves, and choose one activity, and commit to completing it daily for a week. The next week, try doing one activity in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. Continue to increase from there.

The first step is always the hardest one. What boosts your mood may not boost someone else’s as much. You may have other ideas for your personal mood-boosting list, but here are some suggestions to get you started:

Spend time outdoors walking, hiking, or just enjoying nature (even 15 minutes of daily sunlight is a great mood booster!)
Dance to your favorite music
Prepare a healthy meal
Call a family member
Meet a friend for dinner or coffee
Attend a class at the gym
Pick up a new or old hobby
Express yourself creatively through writing, music or art

Keep stress in check

Depression worsens with stress or stress can trigger a new cycle of depression. So, in return, get a grip on stress by determining what triggers stress. Is your current job too overwhelming? Are you in a relationship that is not going well? Are you struggling with financial difficulties?

What ways can you improve these problems? If it’s money, consider meeting with a finance coach or listening to some podcasts on finances to make a plan to budget or manage debt. Have a relationship problem? Is it time to move on or consider counseling? If it’s work, is it time to consider cutting back some hours or finding a new position?

Another way to combat stress is to practice relaxation techniques. Yoga, deep breathing, and meditation are all ways to relax. There are dozens of apps and music playlists available that may help.

Seek support and care for others

When we aren’t doing well, we focus on our cloud of depression. When we feel needed, however, we are able to refocus and have a more positive outlook. Some activities that may help include volunteering, visiting a nursing home, or adopting a pet.

Consider joining a support group for depression too. Not only will it help you step out of isolation, but there is great comfort in discovering you are not alone in your struggles. A support group helps you find and give encouragement, learn how to cope, and release the heavy feelings you carry through sharing your experience.

Support your health

Those with depression tend to sleep too little or too much. Try to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per day. Try to establish a good sleep schedule as well which includes a routine bedtime and waketime.

Exercise is also a powerful tool in fighting depression. Research shows that regular exercise may be as effective as medication in relieving depression symptoms. It also helps to prevent relapses once you’re well.

Shoot for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Even ten minute increments can be very beneficial. Pair up with someone if you struggle with consistency when exercising. Having a partner to encourage and hold you accountable is powerful.

Last, but certainly not least, consider your diet. What you eat directly impacts the way you feel. Certain foods can negatively impact your mood such as sugar, alcohol, caffeine, trans fats, and foods with high levels of hormones or chemical preservatives.

Do you think you may have depression, but you’ve never been diagnosed? Is your current depression treatment not helping? We would love to visit with you. Learn more about the symptoms of depression and the treatment we provide at rrkwc.com/depression-treatment-in-lawton-ok/.

Disclaimer

Use of the information obtained via our website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.

The post Depression: Taking it One Day at a Time appeared first on Red River Ketamine Wellness Center.

My trip out of depression

Admin — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 21:36:00 +0000

EFORE I STARTED ketamine infusions this spring, I was milling around my house, unhinged, ducking into my bedroom to weep behind the closed door whenever my three young children were occupied. I felt like an actor playing a wife and mother. I had been having trouble concentrating on anything for several months, including my work as a journalist. Unable to read a book or watch a crime thriller — diversions I usually love and use to unwind — and in a torturous limbo with no plan, I felt hopeless, full of self-loathing, even suicidal. The only thing keeping me from hurting myself was the thought of what that would do to my family.

Globally, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide each year, according to the World Health Organization, which also reports that more than 300 million peopleworldwide suffer from depression. Approximately 10 to 30 percent of those with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression, typically defined as a failure to respond to at least two different treatments.

I have treatment-resistant depression, as well as generalized anxiety disorder. Throughout my life, I have been on a quest to conquer these formidable demons. I am 48 and have been in therapy off and on — mostly on — since the fourth grade. I have tried approximately 14 different antidepressants, but they either haven’t worked, or they’ve caused insufferable side effects. I have done a full course of transcranial magnetic stimulation, during which magnetic fields were applied to my scalp at specific points that affect depression and anxiety. And I recently tried Nardil, a first-generation antidepressant that requires a special diet. I was dizzy at times with blurred vision and felt overwhelming fatigue to the point where I feared I might fall asleep while driving.

My psychiatrist and I agreed that there were three options left: inpatient care, electroconvulsive therapy, or ketamine. I didn’t want to leave my children, and I was worried about the cognitive side effects of electroconvulsive therapy. But I was intrigued by ketamine, having just written a story about it for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Instead of waiting for the newly FDA-approved esketamine nasal spray, which insurance would theoretically cover when it became available in an unknown matter of weeks or months, I opted to do the infusions, which were available off-label, meaning that the drug is being used in a way that has not been approved through the FDA process.

Approximately 70 percent of people who try ketamine say they respond to it.

But despite this success rate and the fact that ketamine has been safely used as an anesthetic for more than 50 years, I was concerned about receiving frequent infusions because the long-term effects are relatively unknown. Further, ketamine is sometimes used as a recreational drug and the psychedelic possibilities of this treatment frightened me. Some initial reports also indicate that repeated infusions may be addictive. But I was so desperate to feel better and escape my suicidal ideation that I was willing to risk soaring on a psychedelic high and other possible side effects in order to more fully live the rest of my life.

I WENT TO Actify Neurotherapies, a company with a clinic near my home just outside of Philadelphia. My parents, who were gravely concerned about me and had the means, agreed to pay the $485 per infusion (the cost varies by clinic location). After an hour-long consultation with a psychiatrist who determined I was a viable ketamine candidate, a nurse led me to a room with a recliner and hooked me up with my first dose.

As the drug began to seep into my bloodstream, I felt immobilized in the chair, afraid to move my arm and disturb the IV. I put a Pandora “Chill” station on my iPhone to listen to through headphones, not realizing that the somewhat psychedelic music might actually make me more nervous while on a psychedelic drug. Some of the songs were instrumental, and as the ketamine began to flow, I realized that hearing music with words was better. The lyrics helped me remain more grounded.

As the minutes passed, I was able to let go of my anxiety and flow with the experience. I felt like I was swimming through the warm molasses of time in an eerie distortion of reality. I was simultaneously light and heavy, floating but also weighted down into my chair. My lips and body tingled. Some moments, I felt like I was merging into the music, sort of inhabiting it.

Then, in a rapid quickening of time, the 40-minute infusion was over, and I was onto the 30-minute saline flush given to make sure I received the full dose of ketamine and to help return me to the real world. I was not at all groggy afterward and felt that I could do pretty much anything I would normally engage in, including going for a run, which I did with the psychiatrist’s approval. I crashed later in the day and then awoke to put the children to bed and even catch up on a bit of work. I felt lighter and brighter and cautiously optimistic.

This lightening of mood continued through the next several infusions, my depression lifting to a great extent. I started listening to the music of my childhood during the treatments, finding the lyrics to be intensely meaningful while the ketamine was flowing into my body. Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” seemed to stretch on forever during my second infusion. During my sixth infusion, I felt an ephemeral opening up, as if my brain and heart were more available to the world and to relationships and work. I felt a sense of joy, something I had a very hard time experiencing in my daily life.

Each time, the ketamine momentarily carried me out of myself. I felt freer during the infusions and as if years of cobwebs were being swept from my mind. I had insights: I wanted to strengthen my marriage and try to be more loving toward my husband, for instance. There’s even research in mice that ketamine may spur the growth of new neural connections in the brain that have been diminished by chronic stress.

My positive experiences during ketamine infusions are not necessarily typical, however. Some people get nauseous or experience headaches. Though rare at the low doses used in depression treatment, others report descending into a “k-hole,” riding out a very bad trip.

Ketamine functions on NMDA receptors, components of the glutamate system in the brain, but scientists don’t know exactly how it works, why the effects vary between individuals, or why positive gains often fade with time. Research is ongoing; a recent study, for instance, showed that a new small-molecule drug administered to rats produced the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine and esketamine with fewer known safety concerns.

In the meantime, ketamine infusions were available, and I chose them, despite feeling conflicted about being high during treatments. I worried that the experience was so pleasurable to me, that it meant I was developing a substance use disorder that would lead to drug-seeking behavior. My psychotherapist instead encouraged me to see it as relief-seeking behavior, since I had been miserable so much of my life. Plus, I was receiving the ketamine in a controlled environment. And I was getting better.

I had stopped crying. I was able to read a book that had been resting for months, unopened, on my bedside table. I watched “Delhi Crime” from end to end on Netflix. I was working harder than ever.

However, as the weeks passed, I was still not able to enjoy my family, my work, or my pastimes as much as I wanted to, and my anxiety remained high. I continue to battle that with visits to my psychiatrist and additional medications. I have even slipped back a bit, feeling more depression, under pressure from work and family issues. So far, the longest stretch I’ve gone between infusions is two weeks, and even that felt a bit uncomfortable.

Ketamine initially enabled me to recapture my life, but I am now reevaluating its benefits. I will try a few more infusions and then decide whether or not to continue.

If I have to give up ketamine, I will be crushed.

The psychiatrist at Actify Neurotherapies suggested that I might be a good candidate for esketamine, which calls for more frequent doses than the infusions. But esketamine is just now entering the market, and my clinic doesn’t anticipate having it until sometime in the fall.

Hopefully, with the help of my multiple doctors, I will find a way to make ketamine or esketamine work for me over the long run. In the meantime, I am waiting with millions of others who also suffer from treatment-resistant depression, wondering where to turn next.

Courtenay Harris Bond is a freelance reporter and writer whose work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as on Philly.com, NewsWorks.org, and The Broad Street Review.

Original article: https://undark.org/2019/07/04/my-psychedelic-trip-out-of-depression/

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How Ketamine is used to treat depression

Admin — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 21:30:00 +0000

Major depression is a mental disorder that affects over seven percent of the adult American population. In people between the ages of 18-25, the rate nearly doubles. Depression is a serious condition that drastically impacts quality of life, and can also be life-threatening in many cases. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in people between the ages of 10-34.

Many treatments exist for depression, including medication and therapy, that can provide relief and enable recovery. The medications available are safe and generally effective. However, these treatments are not effective for all patients. Treatment-resistant depression affects 30% of those who seek treatment.

In addition, traditional antidepressants (SSRIs) take multiple weeks to start working. Patients may need to try multiple drugs and combinations to find effective treatment. This can lead to many months of trial and error, with no promise that an effective drug will be found. Some of these drugs may even increase suicidal ideation. These delays and side effects make treating depression even more difficult.

Other options including electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, and transcranial stimulation exist. However, these treatments are not entirely effective either and can cause cognitive side-effects.

This reality has led to the need for new treatment options for depression. Over the last decade, research into a drug called ketamine has revealed its potential as a fast-acting treatment for depression. Ketamine was first developed as an anesthetic and has been approved by the FDA for this use since 1970.

A brief history of antidepressants

Antidepressant medications targeting the “monoamine” neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine and (nor)epinephrine) have existed for over 50 years. The first SSRI discovered was fluoxetine, also known as Prozac. Fluoxetine was discovered from the allergy medication diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which happens to have SSRI activity.

The discovery of fluoxetine supported the hypothesis that depression is caused by a lack of monoamines. However, research since then has not supported this idea. It is more likely that these drugs cause “downstream” changes that reduce depression symptoms.

The neurotransmitter glutamate has become one of the central focuses of antidepressant research. Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain that is essential in many processes in the brain.

Glutamate also plays an essential role in memory and learning and is part of the process called long-term potentiation, which allows the brain to build and change its connections.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that was first approved by the US FDA in 1970. Since then, it has become a common anesthetic for veterinary use. It is also still used as an anesthetic for human patients.

At doses lower than those used for anesthesia, ketamine acts as a dissociative psychedelic. These effects are unique from traditional serotonergic psychedelics like LSD. As a recreational drug, ketamine has a high risk of addiction, unlike classical psychedelics.

Ketamine is functionally similar to the anesthetic phencyclidine (PCP) and the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DXM.) Both of these drugs are also used recreationally due to their dissociative psychedelic effects.

These drugs are not only addictive but can be physically and mentally harmful when abused. Due to these risks, there are some concerns about using ketamine in depressed patients. However, the doses and frequency used for depression are far below those seen in abusers.

Research done on abusers of ketamine also provides unique insight into the risks of repeated ketamine use. This makes it easier to know the upper limit of safe use.

Ketamine is an FDA approved drug with a long history of use in humans. Therefore, it is seen as a relatively safe option for depression treatment. Additionally, since ketamine has already gone through the FDA approval process, it can already be used in a clinical setting. Most drugs take many years to make it to market, and providing a new option for treatment-resistant depression can save lives.

Why is Ketamine Used for Depression?

Ketamine has been found to be extremely effective at treating depression. Unlike classical antidepressants, ketamine acts within hours, rather than weeks. A single dose can provide symptom relief for weeks to months.

Ketamine has been found to be particularly effective at treating depression that has not responded to other medications or therapies. This rapid action is similar to ECT (electroconvulsive therapy.) However, ketamine does not cause many of the cognitive side-effects associated with this therapy.

Other recreational psychedelics have also shown promise as antidepressants. However, these drugs operate through an entirely different mechanism than ketamine. “Classical” psychedelics work by activating serotonin receptors in the brain. This is the same system targeted by many classical antidepressants such as Prozac and Lexapro.

Ketamine, on the other hand, blocks glutamate receptors. Glutamate is the primary “excitatory” neurotransmitter. It is also deeply involved in the memory forming process of long-term potentiation.

Much like other antidepressants, the reason ketamine is effective at treating the symptoms of depression is not well understood. However, ketamine provides a safe, rapid acting and relatively long-lasting treatment for depression. This shows great potential to improve the lives of depressed people and prevent suicides.

Is Ketamine Therapy Legal?

The use of ketamine to treat depression has been legal since ketamine was first approved in 1970. It can be prescribed for depression as an off-label use. As researchers have explored ketamine’s effectiveness for depression, clinics have begun to offer this treatment. However, due to its off-label use, it is generally very expensive and not covered by insurance.

On March 5th of 2019, the FDA approved a preparation of ketamine for the treatment of depression. This drug is delivered as a nasal spray of a form of ketamine called esketamine.

Esketamine is slightly different from the ketamine used in anaesthesia. Ketamine is a chiral molecule, meaning it usually comes as a mix of mirrored molecules. Esketamine is stereo specific, meaning all of the molecules are “right handed,” rather than being a mix of two “mirrored” molecules. Watch a video about stereoisomerism here.

Synthesizing this drug is more expensive than standard ketamine, but it may provide better results. The administration of ketamine through a nasal spray may also be less effective than IV ketamine. New treatment options will likely become available as research continues.

The Future of Ketamine Therapy

Though a form of ketamine is now available for the treatment of depression, more research is still needed. Research into the most effective way to administer the drug, the associated risks and related treatments is essential. This new treatment option could provide relief for the millions of people struggling with depression.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, seeking treatment can be life-changing. There are resources available regardless of your financial circumstances. The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides information about treatments as well as financial and legal support. If you are struggling with depression or other mental health issues, reach out to these resources as soon as you can. There are confidential, free, 24/7 resources available.

By Casey Hofford, Earth.com Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Africa Studio

Original article: https://www.earth.com/news/how-ketamine-is-used-to-treat-depression/

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