Ketamine is medicine or the best way to call it an anesthetic, which helps incredibly when it comes to pain relief. In much simpler terms, ketamine is used by many doctors as an anesthetic for several medical procedures to induce loss of consciousness in the patient. Bur ketamine is a totally different story than the general anesthetics (which is good for inducing a sleep-like state).
With ketamine, you feel disconnected from your body and even fall into some sort of hallucination like distorted sound and visuals. Let us take a closer look at ketamine infusion therapy and how it is helping out in mental health treatment.
A Little History of the Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine was created in 1962 and allowed for medical use in 1970 as an anesthetic. Recently, it’s been really good at helping with depression, especially when other treatments don’t work. In 2019, the FDA said it’s okay to use a special spray made from ketamine for this type of depression – the first new depression medicine in a long time. This showed how useful ketamine can be.
So, how do people use ketamine and how much do they use to get all its good effects?
Administration and Dosage: Finding the Optimal Approach
Ketamine can be given through a needle in your vein (IV) or in your muscle (IM). If it’s a vein, then the treatment is known as, ketamine infusion therapy while injecting through your muscle is known as, intramuscular ketamine therapy.
When given through a vein, it starts working in seconds; with a muscle shot, it takes around 4 minutes. The amount you get depends on what you need, your age, and health issues. Kids might need more, and older people might need less.
Because ketamine doesn’t last long in your body, you might need more doses or a constant supply to keep it working.
How you get ketamine and how much you get matter a lot, but what it does to your brain and body is what really got doctors interested.
The Spectrum of Mental Health Disorders Treated With Ketamine
Ketamine stops certain brain receptors, and it might increase a chemical called glutamate, which helps with brain connections. This can be good for treating depression and strong thoughts about hurting yourself. Studies say it can help with depression really quickly, unlike regular depression medicines that take much longer.
Ketamine could also help with bipolar disorder by making moods stable and controlling mania. However, some experts say people with bipolar disorder might use ketamine too much, so it’s important to think about the good and bad sides.
For people who feel like hurting themselves a lot, ketamine can be a big help. Studies say more than 70% of people who are really thinking about hurting themselves get better with ketamine within 24 hours. Ketamine works fast, so it can save lives when people need help right away.
Because ketamine does such big things in the brain, it’s not surprising that doctors are using it for more things now.
Medical Uses of Ketamine
Apart from its widely recognized role in anesthesia, ketamine’s versatility shines through its applications in treating severe pain and even depression. It’s a trusted anesthetic for emergency surgeries, procedures requiring easy airway access, and patients with airway issues.
For example, if you have a cut wound, stitching is the only option and let’s face it, it can be painful like anything. But with ketamine, that procedure can be done in a jiffy with no pain, thanks to its fast effects.
Also, ketamine is a strong painkiller, meaning it is best when it comes to treating patients in ER. For people dealing with chronic nerve pain like CRPS, small doses of ketamine can bring significant comfort.
In mental health, ketamine has changed how we treat serious depression, bipolar disorder, and thoughts of hurting ourselves. As we learn more, ketamine might help with anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and addiction.
Take a look at the following graph, which gives you an idea of ketamine’s effect on depression symptoms over a period of 14 days. (NOTE: Less score is better)
Still, like strong substances, ketamine is sometimes used recreationally, which has both supporters and critics.
Recreational Use of Ketamine
While the nicknames ‘K’ or ‘Special K’ might sound interesting, using ketamine for fun has problems. Apart from short-term issues like seeing things and not controlling your body, using ketamine a lot can hurt your memory, kidneys, and bladder.
People with heart or mental health problems should be extra careful. Even though some are curious about using it for fun, the dangers of ketamine mean we need to be very careful.
Whether it’s for medicine or fun, it’s important to know that ketamine can have serious side effects that we should be aware of.
Addressing Concerns and Criticisms
To navigate ketamine’s effects, you need to know its possible side effects, from feeling a bit dizzy to seeing things that aren’t there. Things like feeling sick, not feeling things, seeing things blurry, and feeling lost can happen right after taking it, but they usually go away quickly.
Using ketamine for a long time might raise certain liver enzymes and cause problems when you pee.
There’s a debate about whether ketamine can affect memory and thinking for a long time. Some experts think using it sometimes is okay, while others think using it a lot at once and often could hurt how you think. Scientists are still trying to figure out the best ways to use ketamine safely and effectively.
As we learn more about ketamine, both hopeful researchers and careful doctors agree on one thing – using the right amount, how often, and checking how it’s affecting you are really important. Lots of studies are still going on to show us the best way to use ketamine.
The Synergy of Ketamine and Psychotherapy
Ketamine works well by itself, but adding therapy can make it even better. Therapists help patients understand their ketamine experiences, process feelings, and learn from insights after treatment.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) combines IV ketamine with talking and mindfulness. Studies show it can make the effects of ketamine last longer. KAP also uses technology like virtual reality, eye masks, and music to make the experience richer for patients. It’s a way to help people feel better and learn from their treatment.
Technology’s Role in Enhancing Ketamine Treatment
Apart from KAP, technology is also making ketamine better in different ways. Apps let patients track how they feel, how the medicine works, and any problems. Doctors can see how patients are doing from far away, which helps make treatment better for each person.
In the future, things like computer programs could guess how well a person will do with ketamine and if they might feel worse again. Talking to doctors through screens and devices to watch ketamine at home could also make things easier.
Ketamine works really well by itself, but new tech things can help make it even better. These technologies keep helping even after leaving the clinic, so the good effects last longer.
The Future of Ketamine in Mental Health
As research keeps going, ketamine is finding new ways to help people. It’s being studied for anxiety, PTSD, obsessions, and addictions. There are also new types of ketamine-like medicine, like esketamine, that come in sprays for easier use.
Technology will probably make treatment better. It can help people get treatment, make it just for them, and help them understand their experiences. For example, virtual reality might help with PTSD during ketamine therapy. From getting the right amount to using apps to stop problems from coming back, technology can make things better.
Even though there are still things we’re not sure about, ketamine’s special ways of working make it different from other treatments. It’s really good at quickly helping with serious depression and thoughts of hurting yourself, and that’s giving people hope. The future for using ketamine in mental healthcare looks really bright.
FAQs
1. How does ketamine differ from traditional antidepressants in its mechanism of action?
Ketamine acts rapidly by targeting glutamate receptors, leading to synaptic changes that affect mood. Traditional antidepressants focus on neurotransmitters like serotonin and take longer to show effects.
2. Are there any long-term side effects associated with regular ketamine infusions?
The long-term effects of regular ketamine infusions are still under investigation. Concerns include bladder and kidney issues, cognitive changes, and abuse potential. More research is needed for a comprehensive understanding.
3. How is the effectiveness of ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy measured?
The effectiveness of ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy is measured through reductions in symptoms, improved mood, and enhanced therapeutic outcomes observed during sessions, often tracked using standardized assessment scales and clinical observations.