I have been struggling with depression for over twenty years, and in the previous two years, my depression has been considered both treatment resistant and severe. After being hospitalized 5 times in the past 18 months, trying numerous medications and medication combinations, and having 43 ECT treatments over the course of 7 months, I was ready to give up. In fact, I nearly gave in to the weight of my depression and it almost took my life in March.
Then, my psychiatrist, recommended ketamine as a treatment for the recurring, severe, treatment resistant depression. After doing a lot of research, I was only cautiously optimistic that one drug could calm the suicidal ideation and alleviate the depression. He gave me an introductory course of ketamine administered every other day for six days. Within hours, the suicidal thoughts that had plagued my mind for months were nearly gone. It was amazing. Throughout the course of the treatment, the fog of a severe depression began to clear, and I could think rationally for the first time in nearly a year and a half.
Since then, I have been getting maintenance treatments at the Ketamine Institute of Michigan every three to four weeks. The benefits after a treatment are nearly immediate and it lasts for several weeks. I am now able to go to college full-time and be a better parent, wife, and person. All of this was not even feasible a couple of months ago, prior to ketamine. So far, the treatments have changed my life, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to explore this treatment as an option for treatment-resistant depression.