Ketamine is really beginning to excite the scientific and medical communities. The anesthetic properties of ketamine have long been known about, and ketamine has been used as such since the 1960s. Now, some other properties of ketamine are becoming more well known, including its use for the treatment of depression.
The most exciting aspect when it comes to ketamine and depression is that ketamine has been shown to be effective where other, traditional treatments have failed. ‘Treatment-resistant’ depression is one of the worst forms of depression there is, as sufferers fail to respond to treatments that have proven to be successful at treating other people’s depressive symptoms.
Ketamine Seems to be a ‘Feel Better, Faster’ Way of Treating Depression
In addition, people with depression that have undergone ketamine infusion treatments have reported that the feelings associated with depression – such as low mood, heavy feelings in the chest and a loss of appetite – have abated within hours of the treatment. This compares very favorably to the days or even weeks taken for patients to respond to traditional treatment methods.
In a study conducted in Australia, a team gave ketamine infusion treatments to people over the age of sixty who were suffering from depression. The results of the study were encouraging – 43 percent of the patients stated that their symptoms had lifted, and when they reported back six months after their treatment, most reported that their symptoms of depression had not returned.
Another study – the largest of its kind – was conducted in 2013. A study group of 73 participants were given ketamine infusion therapy under controlled circumstances, and amazingly, after only twenty-four hours 64 percent of those people in the study said that their symptoms had abated, diminished or disappeared altogether. Most of those taking part in the study had already proven resistant to traditional treatments, with some having tried three of more treatment programs with no alleviation of their symptoms.
Scientists Are Still Studying How Ketamine Works to Ease the Symptoms of Depression
It is still unclear exactly how ketamine works to combat depression, but it is thought that ketamine stimulates the brain to release extra neurotransmitters and to build new pathways. It’s the brain’s inability to build pathways that affects cognition and mood, triggering the feelings associated with depression.
Contact The Ketamine Institute of Michigan to Learn More About Ketamine Infusion Therapy
If you would like to learn a little bit more about ketamine and how it can be used for depression or chronic pain, then please contact The Ketamine Institute of Michigan. You can contact us at (855) KETAMINE (855-538-2646) or by using our online contact form.