According to recent stats, 16 million individuals in the US experienced a significant depressive episode over the past year. Between 1999 and 2016, 25 states had a higher than 30% increase in suicide rates. Ketamine’s quick effect suggests that it could be useful in preventing suicide.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is an anesthetic that was earlier used on animals. It was approved by the FDA in 1970 and has been used as an anesthetic in humans and animals ever since.
How does ketamine work?
Ketamine works differently than medications like antidepressants or benzodiazepines. Antidepressants target serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and social behavior. Ketamine works on NMDA receptors that block glutamate. Glutamate is an amino acid that is important for brain activity. When too much glutamate is present, it can cause symptoms of psychosis or depression. Ketamine’s effectiveness comes from its mechanism of action. Since ketamine works on the NMDA receptor, it prevents glutamate from attaching to the receptors. When glutamate can’t attach to the NMDA receptors, the symptoms of psychosis or depression are reduced.
How is ketamine administered?
Ketamine can be administered in a wide variety of ways. It can be given intravenously, intramuscularly, or orally.
Benefits of ketamine
Ketamine infusion therapy involves administering ketamine via intravenous infusion. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that can create feelings of dissociation, disconnection, and dissociation. Ketamine is able to block NMDA receptors, which can occur throughout the central nervous system. NMDA receptors are known to trigger the release of glutamate, which is believed by researchers to be a possible cause of depression, schizophrenia, and PTSD.
- Ketamine’s anti-anxiety effect
Ketamine can relieve your anxiety by anesthetizing you while allowing you remain conscious. Ketamine is dissociative and not an anesthetic, so you will still feel what is going on around you. Ketamine allows you to remain awake and alert. This allows you to speak or communicate with your dentist during procedures. Ketamine also relieves pain by blocking pain receptors in the brain. This promotes an analgesic effect while allowing you remain awake.
- Ketamine’s anti-nausea effect
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of many inhaled anesthetics. Ketamine is different from other anesthetics because it has been shown to have a pronounced anti-nausea effect. The anti-nausea effect may last up to 48 hours.
- Ketamine’s anesthetic effect
Ketamine’s anesthetic effect allows it to numb the areas where it is applied, making it an ideal anesthetic to use during IV sedation.
Ketamine prevents pain signals sent from nerves in the brain. It also blocks the pain signals sent by nerves in the spinal cord. Ketamine also blocks the chemicals that cause the “fight or flight” response.
Ketamine can relieve pain associated with the following conditions:
- Inflammatory diseases
- Cancer
- Pain following surgery
- Chronic pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Also known as ketamine HCL, Ketamine infusion therapy is a type of drug and alcohol addiction therapy that can quickly treat the detoxification symptoms and withdrawal associated with opiate addiction. Ketamine therapy can also treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Ketamine infusion therapy is administered intravenously but causes no side effects or hangover effects.
Please reach out to Florida Regional Pain Management from your nearest location to have a consultation with Dr. Manohar. Please call us or schedule an online consultation, and we’ll guide you further.