What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a prescription short-acting dissociative medication used for anesthesia since the early 1960's. Ketamine has been used in mental health for more than 20 years and as a result we know the medicine itself is extremely safe for most individuals. Ketamine does not suppress the respiratory drive or paralyze muscles in the way other anesthetics do, and its dissociative properties provide for rapid pain relief as well.
Over the past 50 years, through extensive medical research and multiple large-scale clinical trials, ketamine has proven to have tremendous benefits in the treatment of numerous mental health-related conditions.
How Does Ketamine Work?
Used as a treatment for severe depression since around 2009, ketamine treatment is believed to help with depression by acting on the body's Glutamate system and helping rebuild pathways in the brain.
Glutamate is one of the brain's main chemical messengers or neurotransmitters. It is usually excitatory, which means it stimulates brain cells. Glutamate also helps to regulate signaling in the GABA System. GABA is gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and generally reduces signaling.
Researchers believe that glutamate and GABA work together to regulate much of our brain activity, including mood. Stress and depression are associated with altered glutamate signaling and also result in a reduction in the number of synapses and other connections in the brain. This is where ketamine comes in.
Ketamine has been shown to quickly stimulate glutamine signaling and restock glutamate receptors, allowing the brain to form new synapses. The boost in glutamine signaling results in a release of many neural growth factors. These molecules, called neurotrophic factors, stimulate the growth of new connections, including new synapses. This is the action thought to be behind the reason that ketamine is so effective for depression.
Thanks to this antidepressant effect, ketamine has been used off-label (now with FDA approval) as a treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders and other mental health conditions. However, this type of treatment with ketamine (proven best via intravenous route) uses the same kind of ketamine used for anesthesia, albeit at lower doses.
What Conditions Does Ketamine Treat?
Ketamine is a prescription medication approved by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) that doctors may prescribe for off-label treatment of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
- Other mental health-related conditions
Learn more about our ketamine infusion therapy services and how they can help you.
What Happens During a Ketamine Infusion Treatment?
Ketamine has a dissociative effect. This means that it creates a separation of mind and body, also commonly referred to as an out-of-body experience. While ketamine is not a true psychedelic, it does have psychedelic properties and creates an altered state of consciousness, allowing the mind to be outside of its normal waking status. In this state, the mind can access subconscious information.
Ketamine is a powerful disruptor of limiting beliefs around ourselves and our world, allowing one to see themselves truly without all the labels and limitations. It often creates a euphoric feeling for people and many people report having a sense of oneness and connectedness to others and to something bigger than themselves.
Ketamine can also allow people to revisit times or memories of trauma and reconsolidate the memories around those events in a less painful, fearful or traumatic way.
How Do We Determine If You Are a Candidate for IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy is for anyone seeking to take control over their anxiety, depression, PTSD, or mood disorder. Whether you are looking to enhance your current treatments, or other treatments have not provided relief, GLOBAL MED can help develop a treatment plan specifically for you.
Our Board-Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Trained & Certified Ketamine Specialist will start with an initial in-person interview followed by appropriate medical assessment and blood tests. These measures will be used to determine if you are a candidate for IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy and to create an optimal treatment plan specific to your needs in order to maximize results.
Although many people are good candidates, IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy isn't for everyone and not everyone is a candidate. GLOBAL MED always puts the patient's health first and treatment decisions are made at the discretion of our Board-Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.), trained and certified ketamine specialist.
Ready to explore whether IV ketamine therapy is right for you? Contact us to schedule your consultation or call (305) 397-8163 to speak with our team today.
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