Unlocking the Potential of Ketamine Therapy for Severe Depression

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Originally derived from PCP, or “angel dust,” ketamine has been used in hospitals and veterinary clinics as an anesthetic for decades. It’s also been cited as a drug of misuse under the moniker “special K.”

Ketamine causes what doctors call a “dissociative experience” and what most anyone else would call a “trip.” That’s how it became a club drug, called K, Special K, Super K, and Vitamin K, among others. Partiers inject it, put it in drinks, snort it, or add it to joints or cigarettes.

More recently, it has been widely used for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) — that is, severe depression that has not improved with several other therapies, including people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Also, relief from TRD with ketamine happens rapidly: instead of waiting for an antidepressant medicine to hopefully provide some relief over the course of weeks, people who are suffering under the crushing weight of depression can start to feel the benefits of ketamine within about 40 minutes.

Ketamine Bipolar Depression

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Did you know ketamine can also be used to treat bipolar disorder? Specifically, it is used to treat the depression “pole” of bipolar.

How Does Ketamine Work?

First, ketamine induces changes in brain chemistry, which can improve symptoms in hours (hence the rapid decrease in suicidality). It then stimulates the growth of synapses, which help neurons in the brain connect with each other.

Decreased neuronal synapses are often observed in depression, but ketamine increases the formation of new synapses in the brain, which help builds neural plasticity.

How Effective Is Ketamine?

One of the most powerful arguments for using ketamine for bipolar treatment is its rapid response. All things considered, people with bipolar disorder face a rate of 20 times more than the general population for death by suicide.

Additionally, upwards of 25% of those with bipolar disorder are treatment-resistant, meaning at least two or more mood agents have failed.

Because of these statistics, finding an effective treatment that works rapidly is key. In one study, more than 75% of patients responded to ketamine within 40 minutes, with decreased mood symptoms and suicidal ideation, while 0% responded to treatment as usual in that time period.

Ketamines Treatment

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Ketamine therapy is a treatment approach that uses low doses of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic medication, to manage various mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What’s interesting about racemic ketamine is that it contains both (S)-ketamine and (R)-ketamine in equal amounts. When you get intravenous ketamine infusions you get both (S)-ketamine and (R)-ketamine.

Ketamine vs Spravato(Esketamine)

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Spravato is FDA-approved for adults to treat:

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD). TRD is depression that has not improved after treatment with two or more antidepressants.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) with thoughts or actions of suicide. MDD is also called depression.

At the same time, for either condition, doctors prescribe Spravato in combination with at least one other oral antidepressant medication.

Esketamine (brand name Spravato) is a different version of ketamine that can be administered intranasally and also produces rapid, effective results. Hence, Esketamine is the S form of Ketamine.

It is a new development, making pharmaceutical companies more likely to endorse clinical trials supporting the use of it. Therefore, in 2019, the FDA approved the use of esketamine (Spravato) in adults for the treatment of TRD and MDSI.

Conventional antidepressants may actually increase suicidal thoughts at the beginning of treatment, especially in children and young adults. As a result, Esketamine (Spravato) is the only drug besides lithium, a drug commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder, that is proven to decrease suicidal thoughts.

Esketamine, also known as S(+)-ketamine, is a dissociative anesthetic. However, it specifically includes only the S(+)-enantiomer of the racemic ketamine mixture and typically comes in a nasal spray formulation.

Iv Ketamine Therapy (Ketamines Infusion)

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Henceforth, Ketamine infusion must be administered by specially trained medical personnel in a certified clinical setting because it is given intravenously and is considered a controlled substance. Therefore, most patients receive it as an outpatient and go home in a couple of hours.

Patients generally tolerate these sensations very well, reporting the experience as “spiritual” or “pleasurable”. During these sensations, someone struggling with depression, anxiety, or rumination will feel much less of and/or distant from those negative symptoms. Generally patients often describe this experience as an immense relief – like the blanket of depression has been temporarily lifted.

Basically, initial ketamine infusion therapy consists of six IV ketamine treatments for three weeks, averaging two treatments per week.

Ketamines Benefits

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Furthermore, ketamine infusion therapy is primarily used to treat people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Some of our favorite statistics on ketamine treatments include:

In brief, clinical studies show that ketamine infusion therapy can effectively treat MDD and treatment-resistant depression TRD with a success rate as high as 70%.
Many patients show rapid improvement after just their first or second infusion.
Also, 35% of patients experience that their depression symptoms are completely resolved after ketamine treatment.
63% of patients with suicidal ideation experience no longer having suicidal thoughts within 3 days of treatment.

Side Effects of Ketamine Treatment for Depression

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Side effects range from person to person, and typically only last during the treatment session. Although you may not experience any of these side effects, the most common side effects of ketamine infusion therapy include:

Firstly, disassociation=feeling disconnected from yourself, your thoughts, feelings and things around you.
Feeling strange or loopy
Dream-like state
Fourthly, double vision
Loss of appetite
Trouble speaking
Elevated heart rate
Additionally, slight pain at the injection site
Nausea
Elevated blood pressure
Spinning sensation
Numbness
In addition, feeling anxious
Dizziness
Lack of Energy
Feeling drunk
Lastly, very happy or excited

Ketamines for Depression Reviews

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. Notwithstanding, Ketamine has an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 from a total of 27 reviews for the off-label treatment of Depression. 70% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 22% reported a negative experience.

Caryn
Taken for 1 to 6 months
January 13, 2022

“My goodness, did this therapy help me SO MUCH! After TEN YEARS of anxiety, panic attacks, and depression – I painted my nails, I dyed my hair, I went and bought arts and crafts materials to start some art projects, I cooked meals, I did my dishes… It gave me back my personality. And it’s all thanks to my doctors and the ketamine clinics. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart.”

cheer…
Taken for less than 1 month
February 19, 2022

“Did two infusions for depression at 0.7mg/kg. The infusions went fine, but my suicidal thoughts got really bad following treatment. It also caused me to start self harming again. If I had done a third infusion, I would’ve ended up in the psych ward. Please be careful with this stuff.”

Lap
April 29, 2022

“I was bipolar two for decades and this changed my life after 9 treatments. To the person who suffered suicidal tendencies after treatment – that happened to me as well, and the solution was *more* ketamine. It worked beautifully.”

Brenda
Taken for less than 1 month
March 8, 2022

“This will be my 3rd treatment so far I do not feel any differently but I’m hoping this 3rd one today will be beneficial to my depression problems. And true it is a real trip while the infusion last for about 40 min. Then you come out of it about 15-20 min later. It’s not pleasant to me but I’m desperate to find something to have my life back as depression has stolen many years as with social anxiety.”

Conclusion

Unlocking the potential of ketamine therapy for severe depression. So, what do you think, is ketamine’s good for depression or other mental illnesses for that matter?

Although I wonder how it would be to someone who has an addictive personality? I suppose they wouldn’t be a good candidate for the treatment.

When I first started taking benzos, I became addicted to them. Then I stopped taking them for several years. I’m on Klonopin now and have no problems. My mindset has changed where if I have a problem I don’t need a benzo to fix it.

I only take 1 at night to help with the anxiety and sleep. If you’re taking Ketamine, I surely hope it’s working for you. Adios. Until next time…

Articles About Ketamine’s For Depression

–Ketamine

https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/ketamine

-How Ketamine Drug Helps with Depression

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ketamine-depression

-Racemic Ketamine Vs R-Ketamine Vs S-Ketamine: What You Need to Know

https://www.isha.health/post/racemic-ketamine-vs-r-ketamine-vs-s-ketamine

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions

“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral’s Kiss

“There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, ‘There now, hang on, you’ll get over it.’ Sadness is more or less like a head cold- with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.”― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

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Decoding the Symptoms: Panic Attacks vs Heart Attacks in Women(Opens in a new browser tab)

Different Types Of OCD(Opens in a new browser tab)

References