According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting 264 million people. Although many people can find relief with standard antidepressants, not everyone can. Treatment for depression is never one-size-fits-all. Ketamine therapy can help.
One person may respond favorably to their first medication for depression, while another may spend years trying a number of treatments with little or no relief. When someone is unable to find relief with two or more antidepressants from different classes within four to six weeks of reaching the target dose, their depression is characterized as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). For those with TRD, one surprising new treatment has emerged that can relieve symptoms within hours: ketamine therapy.
What is Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine therapy is a non-barbiturate drug that was originally approved by the FDA for use as an anesthetic in animals and humans. It is regularly used in veterinary medicine for domestic animals as well as in wildlife care in zoos and in the wild.
Ketamine is also one of the most commonly used sedatives in pediatric emergency care. ketamine therapy, also known as “Special K”, is used recreationally for its hallucinogenic and dissociative side effects. The DEA has classified it as a Schedule III drug due to its mild to moderate potential for abuse and addiction. This means that it is only legal by prescription and must be administered in a medical facility.
Since the late 1990s, ketamine therapy has been used off-label to treat depression, PTSD, and other mood disorders. Its rapid and often long-lasting results have led many to consider it the most important breakthrough antidepressant treatment of the past decade. In early 2019, the FDA approved a nasal spray containing a ketamine derivative (esketamine) for treatment (TRD). IV ketamine therapy therapy is still consider off-label, but has been show to be effective in relieving symptoms of depression in people with treatment-resistant depression.
How does ketamine therapy affect depression?
Ketamine IV therapy involves a series of infusions that take approximately 90 minutes to administer. For depression, a much lower dose is give than for anesthesia, and treatment sessions include a two-hour post-treatment observation period to monitor the patient for side effects.
One of the most promising benefits of ketamine for depression is how quickly it works. While other antidepressants usually take weeks or even months to start working, ketamine can start providing relief within an hour of the first treatment. Research is still ongoing to determine the exact mechanisms by which ketamine therapy works in the treatment of depression, but current theories suggest that it may work in several different ways, including:
- Causes physical growth in the prefrontal cortex
- It increases the formation of new synapses in the brain
- Reduces signals involved in inflammation
- Restores the activity of the coordinated circuit
- Facilitates communication in specific areas of the brain
While the results of IV ketamine therapy treatment are sometimes immediate and dramatic, not everyone has the same experience. For some, symptom relief does not occur until the entire course of treatment, which usually involves six infusions over two to three weeks, is complete.
For some individuals, a single course of ketamine therapy for depression is enough to completely eliminate depression symptoms without the need for additional medication. Others require monthly “booster” infusions to remain symptom-free.
And in some cases, an individual will find that ketamine treatment increases the effectiveness of their medication rather than completely eliminating symptoms. Generally speaking, ketamine therapy therapy is most effective when combined with psychotherapeutic treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy or other integrative forms of treatment.
Ketamine therapy for depression at Buy Psychedelics Canada
If you or someone you love has been diagnose with depression and has been unable to find relief with standard antidepressants, you may be a good candidate for ketamine therapy for depression. At Buy Psychedelics Canada, we offer both IV ketamine treatment and SPRAVATO, a ketamine nasal spray. For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit our website Buy Psychedelics Canada.
Every year, 15 to 20 million people are diagnose and treat for depression, making it the most common type of mental illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, for about 30 percent of these patients, standard treatment options such as antidepressants and talk therapy are not effective.
But for some, there may be a new option: ketamine, a drug originally developed as an anesthetic but now used to treat treatment-resistant depression. Alexander Papp, MD, a psychiatrist at UC San Diego Health, discusses ketamine’s potential as a treatment for depression when other treatments fail.
How does Ketamine Therapy reduce depression?
Ketamine works by rapidly increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the frontal cortex of the brain while allowing new synapses to form in the same area. Ketamine’s speed in producing an antidepressant effect occurs because this drug bypasses the traditional serotonin pathway and goes directly to glutamate activation.
This is very different from traditional antidepressants, which first increase serotonin activity in many different areas of the brain and ultimately affect glutamate. This process usually takes two to four weeks to take effect, while ketamine produces an almost immediate effect.
What is treatment-resistant depression?
Treatment-refractory depression, better know as treatment-resistant depression, is a term use to describe cases of major depressive disorder that do not respond adequately to appropriate courses of at least two antidepressants.
In this situation, “response” to an antidepressant means not only an improvement in mood, but also a complete disappearance of most symptoms of depression and a return to normal functioning.
What is ketamine and how is it traditionally use in medicine
Ketamine was originally develop as an anesthetic and analgesic or pain reliever. Currently, ketamine is approve and label by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both of these uses in the United States.
Are there any side effects of ketamine therapy as a treatment? Is that why some consider it an “experiential” treatment for depression?
As a treatment for depression, ketamine has few mild side effects. These may include a dream-like feeling, blurred or double vision, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and brief anxiety reactions after a dose. This treatment is not experimental because it is an FDA-approve drug that is use for “off-label” or less common uses. “Off-label” use means that it is give as a treatment not originally approve by the FDA.
The FDA only approves drugs for a certain number of uses, but most drugs eventually develop off-label uses due to clinical experience that develops over time. For example, the drug Prazosin was approve for the treatment of high blood pressure in 1976, but is now mostly use to treat nightmares in PTSD patients, a use that was not originally approve.
When should a patient ask their doctor about trying ketamine therapy as a treatment for depression?
Depression
You should consult your doctor if you have tried several antidepressants or a combination of drugs taken at the highest doses for at least two months without returning to normal functioning. In these cases, it is also important to rule out other medical reasons for depression, such as hormonal imbalance.
Besides ketamine therapy, are there any other treatments on the horizon for this treatment-resistant depression?
New studies on the administration of Botox injections into the frown muscles of the forehead to treat depression. Botox is an FDA-approve drug to treat a variety of conditions, from excessive sweating to muscle spasms to cosmetic use, but its use to treat depression is another example of off-label use.
There are also a number of other treatments for this type of depression. Two of the more common options are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation. Both are FDA approve and cover by some insurance plans.