Ketamine for Depression: A Walkthrough
Ketamine is now increasing in popularity as a treatment of severe depression. Because it was once used as a party drug, the idea of it being a treatment for depression can somehow be odd.
In this blog, we hope to enlighten our readers how Ketamine works and how it can be the biggest breakthrough in treating depression over the years.
Although Ketamine has been made legal for around 50 years already, it is just a few years back when psychiatrists realized its effectiveness on treating depression. Based on a clinical study, 70 to 85 percent of patients suffering from severe depression got better after taking ketamine treatment.
So, how does Ketamine work for depression?
If we are to compare Ketamine with antidepressants:
Antidepressants are usually expected to work weeks after patients take them.
Ketamine takes effect as it leaves the patient’s system. It unbelievably works in just a few hours.
How does that happen?
Unlike antidepressants which needs to build up in your system to take effect, ketamine works by re-growing connections between brain cells that are responsible for your mood.
What happens during treatment?
Ketamine infusion therapy procedure can be performed in an outpatient office setting at a qualified ketamine clinic.
Ketamine is given through IV in a supervised setting. The ketamine infusion completes in about an hour. After the infusion,patients are required to stay still for about half an hour.
What to expect after the treatment?
Patients may not feel any improvement in their mood as soon as the treatment finishes. It may take effect a few hours after.
It is best if the patient has someone to accompany him on his way home as they may experience some dissociation and will be restricted from driving until the following day.
How frequent do the patients need to undergo this treatment?
The patient needs to have a regular follow-up check-up for assessment. The therapist needs to observe the patient’s
response to the treatment to assess how many treatments must they still need to undergo.
If you have any other concerns or queries about treatments for depression and other issues linked with it, feel free to get in touch with us at (480) 367-1500.
