Treatment for Depression

Treatment for Depression 2020-01-08T22:56:16-07:00

More than 16 million Americans suffer from major depression, and one-third of them get no relief from anti-depressants or traditional treatments. The answer for them could be ketamine infusions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Ketamine works within hours, improves mood, and the mild side effects typically go away as soon as the infusion is over.

Anti-depressants are used to cure depression by altering brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. It is a balancing act to find what works with each patient and typically takes several weeks to months to find what works, if anti-depressants will work for them at all. Ketamine, on the other hand, blocks the NMDA receptors in the brain that are thought to cause depression. It also affects opioid receptors which affect pain as well as depression. In other words, antidepressants are trying to balance the chemicals, while Ketamine is changing the way the brain cells communicate. This explains why the impact of Ketamine is immediate and has longer lasting effects even after the drug is no longer in the body.

Ketamine can treat depression, suicidal thoughts, posttraumatic stress disorder, and multiple other mood disorders. Ketamine can have an immediate effect, which is why it is now being used for patients with suicidal ideations. The effects of an initial treatment usually last for 1-3 days, and repeat treatments are needed to sustain longer relief from depressive symptoms.

Ketamine is given as an intravenous infusion. Usually, people receive about six doses over the first two weeks and then boosters every three to five weeks. Longer term results may begin after several months, sometimes a year or more.

If you are looking for Ketamine infusions to help with depression, look no further than Ketamine Infusion Centers. Contact us today to get started.

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