If you’re like most people, the words “ketamine infusion therapy” probably don’t ring a bell. But if I say “party drug,” you might be thinking of ketamine. Yes, the same ketamine that’s often used illegally as a recreational drug can also be used to treat conditions like depression and anxiety. To find out more about how this unique form of therapy works and who it might help, keep reading.
What Is Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Ketamine Infusion Therapy (BMT) is a treatment method developed due to the insufficiency of the first-line drug therapy for depression.
Is ketamine infusion therapy safe?
Ketamine infusion therapy is a method of pain relief wherein the patient is anesthetized and ketamine is induced. Although ketamine infusion therapy has been found to have some benefits, it comes with the consequences of being addictive, which might lead to some long-term side effects. In rare cases, patients may experience severe adverse reactions from the treatment including coma and brain injury.
Ketamine infusion therapy can be very effective in treating chronic pain but should never solely be used as a method for relieving it without consulting your doctor first about possible alternatives that may be equally as helpful.
In the treatment of depression, medication and psychotherapy are the first-line treatment methods. The drug group known as ‘antidepressants’ among biological treatments has an important place in treatment.
However, 30-35% of the patients have insufficient drug therapies and serious side effects. Promising results have been achieved in scientific research with Ketamine Infusion Therapy (BMT). This therapy method has been used in the treatment of resistant depression, especially in countries such as the USA and Canada.
With the joint efforts of psychiatry and anesthesiologists, internationally accepted protocols for the clinical use of ketamine infusion have been established, clinical diagnoses that can be used have been specified, and have been delivered to thousands of patients in an increasing number of Ketamine Treatment Centers. It is used in the treatment of psychiatric diseases such as major depression, bipolar disorder-depressive episodes, postpartum depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and fibromyalgia.
How Is Ketamine Used In Treatment?
Ketamine was developed 50 years ago as an anesthetic drug and is still used in surgeries and emergency rooms. In the last 10 years, researchers and psychiatrists have presented studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Ketamine as a fast-acting drug in severe depression.
What Are the Results of Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Ketamine treatment is not yet well known. Clinical studies show that, on average, 65% of patients experience a decrease in depression symptom severity by half, 24 hours after the first application, and this improvement becomes permanent after 6-10 sessions of serial application.
How Does The Process In Ketamine Treatment Work?
It is primarily applied to patients with resistant depression who do not respond to drugs and other treatments. New treatment searches are constantly on the agenda, as cases of resistant depression that do not respond to medication and other treatments are very challenging. Brain stimulation techniques, such as magnetic stimulation therapy, were born after these searches. Again, deep brain stimulation came to the fore after these searches. A new treatment approach is put into practice at the end of such a search in Serial Ketamine Infusion Therapy.
How Is the Amount of Medication Administered to the Patient Adjusted?
The amount of medication given to the patient is determined according to the person’s weight. Also, blood tests showing the patient’s age, gender, and liver condition are performed. Other drugs used by the patient are also taken into account. Because other drugs can increase the side effects Ketamine can cause in the first 24 hours. Necessary dose adjustment is made by paying attention to all these.
Also, a detailed psychiatric examination and evaluation of the patient are performed before ketamine treatment.
Is There A Protocol Applied In Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
The use of this drug has a certain international protocol. Ketamine is normally an anesthetic. In this treatment, a much lower dose is used than the dose used in anesthesia. The person does not sleep during the application. A shallow dose in serum is given intravenously over a 45 minute period. Ketamine has a rapid antidepressant effect. In many studies, it is stated that immediately after the first application, the patient’s emotional state increases, regression in suicidal tendency, that is, a state of well-being occurs.
In Which Type Of Patients Is Ketamine Infusion Therapy Applied?
It is used predominantly in patients with depression who do not respond to standard treatments. Suicidal tendency and decrease in professional, academic and social functions are also important criteria. If the depression picture is eliminated with ketamine treatment, all the negative consequences of depression will disappear. We apply it 2-3 times a week, a cure consists of 6-10 sessions. At the end of the application, the patient can describe that he is in a normal mode, is revitalized and eager to do something.
Last Updated on March 12, 2022 by Lucas Berg
