Two recent studies seem to suggest benefits of ketamine treatment beyond major depression and that it may be helpful with anxiety and substance abuse-related depression.
Now, researchers are becoming able to pinpoint the exact dose for each individual patient, and then work with the patient to increase the rate of success and even lengthen the amount of time between infusions.
The first published research study, led by a team at Harvard Medical School and published in the journal Depression and Anxiety, set out to understand how ketamine helps patients with anxiety-based treatment-resistant depression. Data from the first study suggested that “patients with anxious depression respond equally as well to ketamine compared to those with non-anxious depression,” write the researchers.
See also: This is How Ketamine Treatments Work At KureIV
The second published research study, led by a team at Yale and published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, looked into whether ketamine could be effective in treating addiction-related depression when administered with naltrexone. The Yale study had only five patients, but its results strongly suggest ketamine and naltrexone do not cancel each other out.
KureIV can help
At KureIV, your care will be coordinated by Scott Rivenes MD and Raj Guharoy MD. Both Scott and Raj are Board Certified Emergency Physicians with over 40 years of combined experience leading Emergency Departments in the Houston area. Their training has spanned the entire gamut of emergency medicine, such as psychiatric, trauma, medical, gynecologic, pediatric and procedural – and they both have the experience necessary to deliver safe ketamine treatments. In addition, all of our ketamine infusion therapists are trained Emergency trained and certified nurses.
Medical Benefits of Ketamine on the Brain
Over the last decade, many research studies have proclaimed the benefits of ketamine treatment. Some of them include:
- ketamine limits production of glutamate, a neurotransmitter responsible for processing information and communications between the body and the conscious brain.
- ketamine causes nerve cells to produce more brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a protein important to brain function and development.
- ketamine brings about the fast outgrowth of dendritic spines, or small protrusions in the neuron that help carry electrical signals and store synaptic strength.
- ketamine can reduce functional connectivity of the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, a collar-like region near the front of the brain that’s connected to the prefrontal and frontal cortexes.
- ketamine is used to treat various chronic pain syndromes, especially those that have a neuropathic component.
- ketamine can alleviate chronic pain, especially when chronic pain has a neuropathic component.
- ketamine may be incredibly useful for treating certain depressed bipolar disorder patients, according to a recent study from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
KureIV provides care for the following conditions:
If you or someone you love is suffering from severe anxiety or addition-related depression, contact the experienced professionals at KureIV to learn more about the benefits of ketamine treatment. Call now to request your free consultation today!
