Categories: HEALTH

Ketamine For Depression – What to Know

Clayton is among the many people struggling with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Long-term antidepressants and psychotherapy have failed to help her find relief from TRD. Steps to buy ketamine online.

Studies conducted under medical supervision have demonstrated Ketamine’s ability to improve depression symptoms quickly. Studies also indicate its ability to reactivate and create new neural pathways – possibly explaining why other therapies don’t.

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What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is an anesthetic drug developed initially for surgical procedures in the 1960s; later, it gained popularity for recreational use under its moniker of Special K or as “psychedelics.” Although often associated with psychotic experiences, clinical trials have demonstrated promising results of the antidepressant effects of Ketamine. The drug works by rapidly reconnecting brain cells so that they communicate more efficiently. Ketamine was later shown to show positive results against depression.

Casual users of Ketamine may experience feelings of dissociation from their bodies; medically supervised treatments typically include injection or nasal spray esketamine (Spravato). Esketamine can also be administered through IV in medical clinics and used with other antidepressant medicines to treat depression; six to eight infusions have provided people lasting relief from depression symptoms over weeks, months, or even years.

How Does Ketamine Work?

Ketamine differs from antidepressants by targeting the glutamate system instead. Glutamate is a chemical messenger in your brain to transmit signals between neurons. Furthermore, glutamate also plays an integral part in changes between synaptic interactions within neurons – which may explain why Ketamine may help depression sufferers.

Researchers believe ketamine works by blocking the action of NMDA receptors in the brain, which are associated with depression. This allows other molecules, such as BDNF and growth factors, into the system – ultimately changing how neurons communicate with each other to improve mood and cognition.

The FDA recently approved Esketamine (Spravato), a nasal spray version of Ketamine. This medication can be used for treatment-resistant depression and administered in clinics or doctors’ offices. Patients typically continue taking antidepressant medication while receiving two weekly infusions of Esketamine twice weekly for three weeks before getting booster infusions every two weeks for additional months.

What Are the Side Effects of Ketamine?

Ketamine offers relief within an hour, unlike traditional antidepressants that may take several weeks to kick in; however, its side effects vary by individual and may not always be well understood.

Dissociation, where people feel separated from their bodies, can be one of the main side effects of ketamine use. Dissociation may also lead to feelings of intoxication or euphoria, confusion, memory loss, and hallucinations.

Ketamine has long been used in medicine as an anesthetic; more recently, it’s also become popular as an effective depression treatment. Ketamine appears to work differently from traditional antidepressant medications, and some studies even found it more successful than ECT in treating depression.

Although the study results were promising, experts warn against treating Ketamine as a cure; instead, it should only be used when other therapies (SSRIs or talk therapy) have failed. It’s also essential to discuss its potential long-term sedation and cognitive decline with your physician before prescribing ketamine treatment.

How Can I Get Ketamine?

Traditional antidepressant drugs often take weeks to work, whereas, with medically supervised ketamine infusion treatment, patients often find relief within hours of an infusion session. A single session has been shown to reactivate existing brain connections while creating new ones allowing individuals to release negative thoughts more readily.

Though Ketamine may produce dissociative effects such as out-of-body experiences and visual and auditory hallucinations, it remains safe for most who qualify for its use in clinical settings without double-blinding it – making it easy to assess whether the drug works.

Doctors can administer an infusion of Ketamine via IV, shot, or nasal spray to treat mental health conditions like depression. While the FDA has only approved one formulation (esketamine Spravato) as a nasal spray treatment option for depression, most research involves IV treatments.

Independent ketamine clinics are becoming more prevalent nationwide, and some may provide one-shot infusions at a fixed fee. If considering this route of infusion therapy, experts advise first speaking to your primary care doctor or mental health provider, who may refer you to someone specialized in administering ketamine injections.