Treatment-Resistant Depression

Ketamine Treatment for Depression

Over the last twenty years, research has consistently shown that ketamine administered in low doses is an effective method in treating major depressive disorders and easing symptoms of patients with treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine Wellness Infusions PA offers ketamine therapy to help relieve symptoms of depression. Continue reading to find out about treatment options and the benefits of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression.

Types of Depression Treatment

Depression is typically treated with medication (antidepressants) and/or psychotherapy.

Treatment from antidepressants can rely heavily on genetic traits. Finding the right medication for individual patients is done through lab tests and/or consulting with a licensed mental health professional. It is not uncommon to change medications until the right combination proves to be effective.

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is broken down into three categories: cognitive, interpersonal, and behavioral. This form of treatment allows patients to discuss their depression, moods, thoughts, and other issues with a mental health professional. Unlike antidepressants, psychotherapy helps patients actively identify behaviors and causes of depressive episodes and find ways to better control them.

Although many benefit from antidepressants and psychotherapy, one-third of patients using antidepressants alone do not see the results needed to cope with their depression. These people tend to be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression.

What is Treatment-Resistant Depression

Treatment-resistant depression is a term given to people with major depressive disorders that find little to no relief from medication. One-third of adults diagnosed continue to feel lethargic, sleep-deprived, anxious and have a loss of self-control.

If depression does not improve after at least two trials of medication, this is the biggest indication of treatment-resistant depression.

Another indication is an improvement in symptoms followed by returning depressive symptoms. Longer and more severe episodes of depression are another factor.

While antidepressants and psychotherapy alone may not help treatment-resistant depression, ketamine infusions have been noted to help relieve symptoms.

Ketamine and Depression

For decades, ketamine has been used as an anesthetic during surgical procedures. In a low dose, it can relieve the symptoms of depression in people who have been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression.

Ketamine helps to ease symptoms of depression by balancing chemicals in the brain; specifically glutamate, one of the main chemicals associated with depression. While antidepressants can sometimes take weeks or months to stabilize conditions, the results from ketamine are relatively quick.

While the effects of ketamine treatment may be immediate, they vary from 1-6 months. Once you complete the initial series of Ketamine infusions are completed, we consult with your physician about your treatment and the progress you achieved. Working together with your provider will benefit your treatment outcomes, which is our main goal!

Where can I Get Ketamine Treatment for Depression?

Ketamine Wellness Infusions PA offers ketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression and other depressive disorders in the Philadelphia area. Our team is here to help you manage depression through ketamine treatments.

Contact our team of professionals to schedule your consultation. We’re looking forward to helping you achieve better days ahead.

How Does Ketamine Work?

Ketamine is mostly known for its action on the NMDA receptor in the brain, leading to increased activity of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. Increased glutamate levels may enhance one’s mood, decrease anxiety or depression symptoms. Ketamine can decrease the inflammation of the nervous system, as well as stimulate the development of new nerve connections. Frequently reported benefits from our patients are elevated mood, decreased depression and anxiety, improved energy levels, improved coping mechanisms, and others.

Is Ketamine Therapy Right For Me?

Ketamine offers a rapid and robust alternative to traditional medical and psychiatric treatments for pain syndromes and mental health disorders. Intravenous ketamine infusions often succeed where first-line therapies have failed to relieve your symptoms.

Patients who continue to struggle with symptoms caused by anxiety, major depression, postpartum depression, treatment-resistant depression, and bipolar depression often experience improvement within hours of their first ketamine treatment.

Ketamine offers such rapid results that it’s especially beneficial for treating patients with suicidality who can’t wait weeks or months to see if a psychiatric medication might help. Ketamine also offers effective symptom relief for PTSD and OCD.