Postpartum depression, which is another form of clinical depression, is a common problem for new moms. Depression during the postpartum phase can be heart-breaking for a new mother who is supposed to be experiencing the most joyous time of her life. But now such mothers have hope with Ketamine Therapy to get rid of postpartum depression.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy has increasingly gained popularity and acceptance as an ideal medication for several types of depressive disorders, including postpartum depression.
Fantastic and innovative Dr. Steven L Mandel of the Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles provides ketamine infusion treatments to patients in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Orange County, California, and surrounding communities in this part of the nation.
Diagnosing Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is known as a depressive disorder with peripartum onset. Peripartum onset may begin any time during pregnancy up to a month after the baby’s delivery. If the mother experiences at least five of the following nine symptoms over a two-week period starting less than a month after delivery, she will be said to be diagnosed with postpartum depression:
- Depressed mood or irritability most of the day
- Reduced interest in most activities
- Significant weight gain or loss or change in appetite
- Change in sleep patterns, including insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Change in activity and restlessness
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Unexplained feeling of worthlessness or guilt
- Impaired concentration or indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Ketamine Therapy
If a new mother is diagnosed with postpartum depression, she will require some type of medication. But the conventional medications for depression such as SSRIs can be transmitted to the baby through breast milk. Therefore, new treatment approaches to address postpartum depression are necessary. This is where Ketamine Infusion Therapy has emerged as a positive solution.
Ketamine is a safe medication that has been used by doctors since the 1960s. With the limitation of other pharmacologic treatment options for nursing mothers, ketamine can prove to be a very useful alternative. It may also be combined with non-pharmacologic treatment options, including social and psychological interventions, group based therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Benefits of Ketamine
The advantage of Ketamine Therapy to treat postpartum depression is that the medication has a very short half-life. This means that ketamine will get cleared from the body within hours due to its rapid metabolism. This makes it a safer and appealing treatment option for patients who need treatment in their postnatal period.
Another benefit of ketamine is that it works very quickly to provide relief. About 70 percent of the mothers can expect to experience relief from the symptoms of postpartum depression after just the first or second infusion. Within a few days, most patients can get rid of the agony they are suffering due to this depressive condition.
Ketamine also does not have the side effects of typical antidepressants. With proper timing of ketamine treatments, it is easy to ensure that the medication will not be transmitted to the baby via breast milk. The sagacious and dedicated Dr. Mandel provides ketamine infusion treatments to patients in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Orange County, California, and other cities and communities in The Golden State.
For more information about Ketamine Infusion Therapy 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 Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Orange County, San Diego, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Sacramento, CA, Northern & Southern California, Las Vegas, NV and many other cities from west to east coast.
