If you have been struggling with depression, you are not alone. Many people battle depression at some point in their lives. One hard thing about managing or treating depression is that everyone responds to treatment a bit differently. So, a treatment that works for other people may not have the same, profound effects on you. This is true, for example, for SSRIs, MAOIs, and other so-called conventional medications for depression. The good news is that depression treatment is evolving, and newer treatments are often more consistently effective than older ones. One such treatment to consider is ketamine. Here are the core things that are important to know before seeking ketamine treatment for depression.
Ketamine, as a drug, is not new.
Using ketamine for depression treatment is relatively new. However, ketamine is not a new medication. It has been used for other purposes, namely anesthesia, for many years. As such, doctors and researchers are quite familiar with its risks, side effects, dosing guidelines, and chemistry. Taking ketamine, in and of itself, is not experimental or radical.
Ketamine works very differently from other depression medications.
Sometimes, patients are resistant to trying ketamine because so many other depression medications have failed them. But your response to other depression meds has no bearing on your reaction to ketamine. Other drugs work largely by increasing the amount of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. This simply does not work well for some folks. Ketamine works by prompting the brain to form new neural connections — ones that are not rooted in depressive thought patterns. As such, it is effective for a lot of patients who don't respond to SSRIs and MAOIs.
Ketamine is given in your doctor's office.
Depression can make it hard to adhere to a regular medication dosing routine. With ketamine, however, this should not be an issue. Ketamine is not a medication that you have to take every day. You don't even take it at home. Instead, you will visit a doctor's office and be given ketamine via an IV. Most patients need a few treatments to get the effects they desire, but you won't have to be on ketamine forever. If you can make it to a few appointments, you're golden.
Depression treatment is changing, and ketamine is at the forefront. If you are seeking a depression treatment that works differently and targets your brain in a different way, give ketamine a try
Share
