Experimental Ketamine Depression Treatment in Phoenix Shows Promise

by | Feb 21, 2020 | Health

Recent Articles

Categories

Archives

One experimental depression treatment from Phoenix healthcare practitioners is the administration of ketamine through intravenous therapy. Ketamine is an anesthetic used in veterinary medicine, but it shows great promise for treatment of major depression.

Ketamine appears to work as an effective depression treatment in Phoenix by stimulating the release of a neurotransmitter known as glutamate and helping brain cells absorb it. When a person’s brain does not adequately use the amount of glutamate normally available, depression can be the result. This form of depression can be serious, leading to a diagnosis of major depressive disorder.

What to Expect

Infusions may last 45 to 90 minutes in the practitioner’s clinic. Since ketamine has dissociative effects, the patient may experience hallucinations and a sense of euphoria. These effects are probably not important for the relief of depression, however.

The reduction of depression symptoms usually occurs within 24 hours. Patients only need a limited number of treatments and afterward are free of their burdensome symptoms. There is no need to routinely take antidepressant medication.

Ketamine vs. Prescription Antidepressant Medications

Antidepressant medications increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. This is a very different approach than that of ketamine treatment. Research indicates that up to 80 percent of patients receiving this therapy experience very effective long-lasting results. That’s a stark difference from the approximately 40 percent of patients taking antidepressant medicine reporting such positive results after one year.


Related Articles