Ketamine is classified as a dissociative anesthetic, but through clinical trials, medical scientists have discovered that the medicine holds the potential to help people with major psychiatric disorders, as well as those who are suffering from chronic pain.
Ketamine works because of the effect the medicine has on the human nervous system. Once the medicine is administered, it interacts with some particular chemical receptors in the nervous system. With the appropriate dosage, this effect can have nearly immediate positive effects on mental and emotional well-being. Because the nervous system is responsible for interpreting pain signals. Ketamine can also give relief to patients who experience chronic pain.
If patients have tried a variety of treatments for pain or depression, but have had little success, ketamine infusion therapy may be the solution they need.
What does medical research show?
- For the last two decades, research at Yale have led ketamine research by experimenting with using subanesthetic doses of ketamine delivered intravenously in controlled clinic settings for patients with severe depression who have not improved with standard antidepressant treatments. The results were dramatic: more than half of participants showed a significant decrease in depression symptoms after just 24 hours.
How Ketamine Drugs Helps with Depression. YaleMedicine.org
- In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Psychology, researchers say that half of the participants responded to the treatment within six weeks of beginning infusion and 20 percent had depressive symptoms in remission. After 10 infusions, response rates were 72 percent and remission rates were 38 percent. The team also saw a 30 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms over the course of the treatment and half of the patients who experienced suicidal ideation were in remission after six weeks.
Clinical Effectiveness of Intravenous Racemic Ketamine Infusions.
Maintenance
A series of low dose Ketamine infusions can dramatically alter or even eliminate chronic pain and provide protection against relapse of depression or suicidal thoughts.
Risks & Side Effects
The risk is very low although some patients do experience side effects including nausea, mild nonthreatening hallucinations, high blood pressure or dizziness.
About your clinician
About Aaron McClellan, CRNA, APRN graduated from the University of New England in 2012 with a Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia. He practiced at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for five years before transferring to a surgical center in Wyoming. His interests in Ketamine therapy began when one of his children, a daughter diagnosed with tethered cord syndrome as a baby, was left with permanent nerve damage after her 9th spinal surgery. This caused her daily, severe chronic pain that eventually led to depression.
After trying countless medications and therapy to help with his child’s pain and mental health, Aaron turned to Ketamine infusions. When he saw how these treatments helped his daughter both mentally and physically, he decided he wanted to help others the same way by providing ketamine treatments. Aaron prides himself on being a good listener and making patients feel comfortable while providing quality patients care.
Pricing: At this point this service is not covered by insurances.
Fee Rates:
$200 for initial consultation
$400 per Ketamine Infusion