Insight Pain Management – Living with a chronic mental or physical health condition can impact your quality of life in countless ways. Anyone struggling with pain, depression, or anxiety knows the toll that managing symptoms can take on almost every aspect of daily life, including work, socializing, and even completing ordinary tasks. If you have been diagnosed with certain conditions causing chronic pain, major depression, or other mental health issues and are not finding relief through conventional medications and therapies, an innovative treatment called ketamine infusion therapy may be right for you. At Insight Pain Management, ‘what can ketamine infusions treat’, ‘what does ketamine do to your brain’, and ‘are there any side effects to ketamine’ are all common questions people ask when considering infusion therapy. Here are the answers to these questions, including how ketamine infusion therapy works and six reasons you should consider this safe and effective treatment.
How Does Ketamine Infusion Therapy Work?
Ketamine was first used in the 1960s as an anaesthetic during surgeries. However, in recent years it has proven to be a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even migraine headaches.
Ketamine is known as a dissociative anaesthetic, which means it distances you from your physical sense of perception. It does this by targeting chemical receptors in the brain that are associated with pain and mental health. By blocking these signals from registering in the brain, people experience noticeable and fast-acting symptom relief that allows the body to rest and recover.
6 Reasons Ketamine Infusion Therapy Could Be Right For You
Do you Have Depression, Anxiety, or PTSD
Ketamine is most commonly associated with treating depression, and research indicates it is making great strides in delivering safe and effective relief. The journal Frontiers in Neuroscience notes “its clear effectiveness in reducing symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation, either after a single administration, or especially when administered repeatedly in addition to another antidepressant, is an extremely promising factor in the treatment of depression.”
Ketamine is also highly effective in treating other serious mental health conditions, including severe anxiety, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
You Have Chronic Pain
Although ketamine infusion therapy should not be used as a first line of defense for treating chronic pain, it can be successful in helping people achieve long-term relief when conventional methods are not effective.
A recent study published in the journal Health Psychology Research found that ketamine used as an alternative treatment option to NSAIDs, opioids, and other first line treatments improved pain symptoms, patient satisfaction, and quality of life. Patients with neuropathic pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, phantom limb pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and cancer pain have all benefited from ketamine infusion therapy.
You Have Already Tried Medications
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain are usually treated with a combination of medications, therapy, and other conservative methods. However, if your symptoms persist after trying different dosages and treatments, ketamine infusion therapy could be an appropriate next step.
Ketamine is highly effective in improving treatment-resistant depression and other conditions by blocking pain signals throughout the body. When this occurs, the body and brain begin communicating using new pathways, improving your mood and thought patterns while also helping the body develop resilience over time.
You Aren’t Responding to Therapy
Individual therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and group therapy are all highly effective in helping people overcome mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
But if therapy alone is not enough to help you control your symptoms, and you have exhausted other treatment methods, ketamine infusions could be an option to consider in addition to your counseling/therapy sessions.
You are Looking for Fast & Effective Results
One of the biggest advantages of ketamine infusion therapy is how quickly it provides relief for patients experiencing chronic physical and mental health conditions.
Traditional treatments like medications or therapy can take weeks or months to deliver noticeable relief. With ketamine, patients often start seeing small improvements after the first infusion and significant relief after subsequent infusions.
You Experience Side Effects From Other Medications
Antidepressants and pain medications can be very effective, but they usually come with side effects like weight gain, nausea, and dizziness that affect the quality of life.
Ketamine infusion therapy is a safe alternative that comes with few adverse reactions. Patients may experience slight short-term side effects like fatigue, nausea, or headaches immediately following the procedure and should avoid driving or working for the remainder of the day. Ketamine can also cause a short-term increase in blood pressure and heart rate, which is dangerous for people with uncontrolled hypertension, blood vessel disorders, and heart conditions.
Patients will undergo a thorough screening before the procedure to ensure an infusion is safe and should discuss any concerns with their doctor prior to considering ketamine therapy.
Ketamine infusion therapy is a safe, fast-acting, and highly effective choice for people experiencing physical and mental health conditions that do not respond well to conventional treatments. Insight Pain Management now offers a ketamine clinic at our Flint location. To learn more about our services and to find out if ketamine therapy is right for you, contact us today at (810) 275-9152 to schedule an appointment.
FAQ
Q: How long does it take to experience symptom relief from ketamine infusion therapy?
A: Ketamine infusion therapy works very quickly. Most people will experience relief within hours of an infusion. Multiple infusions are recommended for lasting symptom relief.
Q: Is there an age requirement to receive ketamine infusions?
A: Patients must be at least 18 years old to receive ketamine infusion therapy. A referral from a patient’s primary care physician or a behavioral health referral from a patient’s psychiatrist is also required.
Q: Can I drive home after a ketamine infusion?
A: No. Patients cannot drive after an infusion and must arrange transportation. It is also highly recommended that you do not drive, drink, or make any legal decisions until the next day.