Depression is a widespread mental health problem among both women and men in the US today. While treatments such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) have been around for long, patients of depression often do not achieve effective outcomes or feel dissatisfied due to the prolonged duration of treatment and the risks and costs involved in TMS.
In the last few years, Ketamine Therapy has emerged as a highly promising alternative to treat the symptoms of depression. Ketamine Infusion Therapy offers a few key advantages over treatments such as TMS, which has encouraged many treatment providers and researchers to recommend ketamine to patients of treatment resistant depression.
Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles is a state of the art practice exclusively focusing on Ketamine Therapy. The practice is led by dedicated anesthesiologist Dr. Steven L Mandel. Patients in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, California, and surrounding communities across the horizon have an opportunity to receive poignant, judicious, and cutting edge ketamine infusion treatments from Dr. Mandel.
TMS Treatment
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS involves the use of an advanced magnetic field generator, which is placed near the patient’s head (cranium). Considering the involvement of delicate brain nerves, providers now increasingly suggest that Ketamine Infusion Therapy should be considered prior to TMS as a less invasive, more effective, less time consuming and less risky alternative for patients with symptoms of severe depression.
During a TMS session, the electromagnetic coil is placed against the scalp. The magnetic pulse from the coil stimulates nerve cells in the area of the brain involved in depression and mood control. Repetitive magnetic impulses are delivered to treat depression, which is why it is commonly known as repetitive TMS or rTMS.
The treatment course with TMS is extended and the patient has to go through one treatment per day, five days a week for about four to six weeks, which each treatment session lasting for about 40 minutes. That makes it a highly intensive and time consuming treatment course for many patients.
Another challenge with TMS is that even after going through a prolonged treatment process, the patient has no certainty of results. The rate of effectiveness of TMS varies from one patient to another, but overall rates of improvement in depression symptoms may only be in the range of 30 to 50 percent.
So a majority of patients are unlikely to experience improvement even after the complete course of treatment. Cost of TMS treatment will add up quickly because of the high frequency of treatments involved.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Ketamine Infusion Therapy, on the other hand, involves only a series of six infusions administered over a period of about two weeks. The procedure can be performed in-office and does not involve complex devices or brain nerve stimulation. Ketamine can be delivered in low doses simply by placing an intravenous (IV) line in the patient’s arm.
Risks, potential side effects, time involvement and discomfort levels are minimal with Ketamine Therapy as compared to TMS. The profound and reliable Dr. Mandel receives patients from Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, California, and other cities and towns in the southwest for ketamine infusion treatments.
For more information about treatments for depression, bipolar, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), fibromyalgia, pain syndromes and other conditions contact us at the Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles in Southern California (Orange County) by clicking here or calling 310-270-0625
Treating patients from LA, Beverly Hills, Orange County, San Diego, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Sacramento,CA, Las Vegas, NV and many other cities from west to east coast.
