Our ketamine injection therapy services are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs. Although ketamine has other uses, we primarily use ketamine treatments for depression.
Ketamine Depression Treatment:
A highly effective treatment for those struggling with severe depression, Bipolar, Anxiety, PTSD, suicidal feelings, substance abuse and other conditions.
Ketamine can be a solution for people who have tried various different depression medications but haven’t experienced any symptom relief for their condition.
Our Ketamine treatment is an outpatient service; no need to stay in a hospital to receive it!
This treatment is given as an intramuscular injection.
Ketamine for depression works by blocking a neurotransmitter in the brain (glutamate) from binding to the NMDA receptor in your brain. This helps regulate the communication of your brain cells, improving depressive symptoms. It also appears to cause neuroplasticity, the formation of
new brain pathways.
The treatments are a series of 8, each injection being about $300. While Ketamine is costly, it has amazing benefits.
“Getting better from depression demands a lifelong commitment. I’ve made that commitment for my life’s sake and for the sake of those who love me.”
— Susan Polis Schutz, Poet
Ketamine Injection Therapy Is Safe and Effective for Treating Multiple Conditions
Depression can be a debilitating mental condition that saps your will to live and leaves you without hope for a better life. It is estimated that more than 16 million Americans are known to suffer from some form of depression, with one-third of those getting no relief from anti-depressants or other traditional treatments.
If you are suffering from depression and antidepressants or traditional treatment methods haven’t worked for you, then Ketamine Injection Therapy may be the hope you were looking for. In most cases, substantial progress is expected, at least a 50% or greater increase in mood improvement, and some recipients of Ketamine Injection Therapy even received complete relief.
What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine was originally invented in 1962 as an anesthetic for pain and was used on the fields of battle during the Vietnam War. It was later approved by the FDA in 1970. Once this drug was approved, it quickly became the drug of choice for anesthesiologists all over the world. In fact, Ketamine was selected for the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. Even though Ketamine has been in use as a pain anesthetic for surgical operations for decades, it wasn’t until recently that its other uses were realized.
More than a pain reliever, Ketamine was discovered to be an effective treatment for multiple mental conditions and mood disorders, such as Major Depression Disorder (MDD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPD), and other mood disorders. For a lot of people, Ketamine has offered relief for otherwise debilitating mental conditions.
How Does Ketamine Work?
Traditional antidepressants target brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. Antidepressants can take months to balance these levels. Some drugs work for patients and others don’t. This makes it difficult to match patients to drugs and specific doses during treatment. Ketamine works by blocking NDMA receptors in the brain that are believed to cause depression. At the same time, Ketamine affects the opioid sensors in the brain, drastically reducing pain as well as depression.
In scientific terms, Ketamine triggers neurogenesis in stress-damaged areas of the brain by repairing neural pathways. So, while antidepressants attempt to balance chemicals in the brain, Ketamine completely changes the way brain cells communicate with each other, which has a more immediate effect and even lasts longer after Ketamine has left the body.
Ketamine for Depression
Ketamine is surprisingly effective. It works on 85% of patients suffering from Major Depression Disorder. Significant mood improvement is expected to last from 25 days to 8 months following one to four Ketamine Injection Therapy sessions. A study published in Biological Psychiatry, a medical journal for psychiatric neuroscience and therapeutics, recently reported a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, which showed that symptoms of MDD are swiftly improved by administering only a single dose following a Ketamine Injection.
Patients of Ketamine Injection Therapy usually receive up to six doses the first two weeks, followed by boosters every three to five weeks thereafter. Initial relief is typically immediate, as the study relates. You can read the study here.
Since Ketamine has such an immediate effect, Ketamine for Depression also works on patients with suicidal thoughts. The effects of initial treatments can last for one to three days. Additional treatments are usually needed to maintain longer relief from significant depressive symptoms.
Other Uses for Ketamine
Ketamine Injections have also been found to alleviate symptoms from the following mood disorders and mental conditions:
Chronic Anxiety
Patients suffering from Chronic Anxiety can expect good, and sometimes, remarkable social and physical anxiety reduction by the third to fourth dose in their Ketamine Injection Therapy. Ketamine Injections are effective at reducing those uncomfortable physical anxiety symptoms like rapid heart rate and breathing, feeling jumpy and jittery, and fidgeting.
Bipolar Disorder
Patients that suffer from Bipolar Disorder are more at risk than patients with other mental health issues. Bipolar Disorder is a form of depression and according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, depression is the worldwide leading cause for disability claims. Bipolar disorder can reduce a patient’s lifespan by as much as nine years. More than 20% of patients who suffer from Bipolar Disorder contemplate suicide, making Ketamine InjectionTherapy an appealing alternative treatment to traditional therapies.
Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)
Patients with this condition have continued to suffer with their depression despite trying many different medications. It’s not the patient’s fault, nor is it the provider making bad recommendations. Treatment-Resistant Depression is, of course, going to reject medications. This condition persists no matter what therapies are tried. The good news is that 75% or more patients respond to Ketamine Injection Therapy, with expected results after one to four injections. Ketamine Injections even work on late-life TRD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Patients with PTSD often suffer for years, sometimes even decades, with this debilitating disorder, which frequently resists treatments and therapies. Ketamine Infusion Therapy is an effective treatment for PTSD by repairing the pathways affected by glutamate. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter responsible for managing stress responses and forming new memories. Ketamine rewires the glutamate connections, effectively bypassing traumatic memories.
Chronic Pain and Neuropsychiatric Syndromes
Patients who suffer from chronic pain disorders, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS), live in a world of perpetual pain, inflammation, and spasms. Chronic pain is often accompanied by insomnia and emotional distress, further adding to the suffering of this debilitating condition. Ketamine Therapy is an optimal treatment for CRPS because it treats the pain along with the depression caused by living with chronic pain.
Additional Disorders Treatable with Ketamine Therapy
Conditions such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Anorexia Nervosa, Tinnitus, and even Alcohol and Drug Addiction can now be treated with Ketamine Injection Therapy.
Find Help From the Team at Sage Neuroscience Center
If you have any of these conditions or disorders and are looking for solutions, please make an appointment with Sage Neuroscience Center to discuss treatments available to you. At Sage, our ambition is to support the needs of the community.
We collaborate with insurance companies in an effort to offer affordable and accessible healthcare. We also offer options for private pay.
For more information about our services, call us or get started with our New Patient Intake Form.
Our mission at Sage Neuroscience Center is to provide integrated care that empowers those we serve to achieve sustainable wellbeing through our collaborative community of diverse and inclusive healthcare professionals.
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