Can Ketamine Infusions Really Help Depression?

Depression Help

More than 16 million Americans suffer from depression and it continues to be one of the most common mental health problems in the United States. While antidepressants are typically the first line of defense for many sufferers, some patients with depression experience uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous side effects from prescription drugs — or don’t respond to the drugs at all. Ketamine Therapy is proving to be a viable treatment for depression and anxiety-related disorders, including bipolar disorder.

Many doctors and specialists are administering ketamine to patients intravenously since this is the most efficient way to deliver low doses of ketamine into the bloodstream. Originally used medicinally as an anesthetic, ketamine has shown promise among patients suffering from depression and other mood disorders.

How Ketamine Infusion Therapy Works

According to research done on mice by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and grantees, ketamine lifts depression when the body creates metabolites when breaking down ketamine. Ketamine doesn’t work directly, like many antidepressants and treatments, but instead triggers a process where the body creates metabolites that reduce depressive symptoms.

Unlike many antidepressants that can take several weeks to take effect or only improve symptoms for a few days, Ketamine Therapy is regarded as a drug that produces positive effects rapidly and also provides relief from symptoms for months — not days. For many people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, injectable ketamine could be a convenient and effective way to manage symptoms quickly.

Are Ketamine Therapy Infusions Worth It?

As more doctors realize the potential of ketamine for depression and anxiety disorder treatment, they are searching for different ways to administer Ketamine Therapy efficiently. Still, ketamine is a drug and must be regulated as such.

Ketamine is easily administered intravenously with an IV pump. Patients sit comfortably in a chair for about an hour for their IV treatment and side effects are very rare. Once the series of IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy treatments is complete, many patients notice a significant improvement in depressive symptoms and, in some cases, the depression is lifted completely. Ketamine is proving to be a medically useful drug for depression sufferers when it’s administered as an off label treatment.

Find out if you’re a candidate for IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy at Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles. Call us at 310-270-0625 for more information.

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 Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles in Southern California (Orange County) by clicking here or calling  310-270-0625.