Ketamine Treatment

What is Ketamine?

 

Ketamine has a remarkable safety track record and a unique mechanism unlike any other. The drug has the potential to literally rewire parts of the brain so patients tend to have quick and effective relief from their physical and/or mental suffering. 

Ketamine lies in the frontier of mental health treatments and has been endorsed by both the NIMH (National Institute of Mental) and APA (American Psychiatric Association) as a safe and effective treatment for depression. It has been discovered to be highly effective in treating other conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, migraines, OCD, and more. 

The RDS foundation recommends ketamine infusions for the treatment of CRPS as well as other neuropathic pain disorders. Chronic pain conditions such as phantom limb pain (PLP) and chronic migraines have also shown benefits. 

Ketamine is an FDA-approved anesthetic agent originally developed in 1962. Due to its safety profile, it is the number one anesthetic used worldwide. It is used daily in hospitals throughout the United States as an induction agent, for procedural sedation, maintenance, and for both acute and chronic pain management. Visit our Ketamine FAQ page for answers to frequent questions and contact us to schedule your free 15 min phone consult with Dr. Mallek today. 

Conditions We Treat

KETAMINE HAS BEEN CALLED THE BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH FOR DEPRESSION & PTSD TREATMENT IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND BACK INTO YOUR LIFE!

How Does Ketamine work?
Chemically speaking...

Ketamine works, unlike no other medication. It doesn’t simply increase the amount of serotonin or dopamine. It activates downstream pathways that result in the growth of new neurons and connections between neurons within hours of an infusion. This is why the effects are so fast and the applications rather broad. 

Ketamine is known to act on the NMDA receptor as an antagonist, meaning it blocks the action of that receptor. In addition, ketamine also acts on the AMPA receptor (an action of R-ketamine that is missing from the nasal spray Esketamine). The downstream effect of the action on both these receptors results in modulating signals and decreasing the amount of glutamate, a major neurotransmitter inside the brain.

Glutamate is actually involved in more than 90% of all excitatory functions in the human brain. This is why it is so useful for so many disorders including anxiety. With the inhibition of glutamate, you get an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This is where the formation of new neurons (neurogenesis) and new pathways (synaptogenesis) happens. Ketamine works, unlike no other medication.

In addition to its action on NMDA and AMPA as stated above (which is thought to be the primary mechanism), it is also effective on aminergic, opioid, and cholinergic systems. This could also contribute to behavioral and neural network changes, which is exactly what we want. There are multiple studies showing how ketamine can help those with various mental health and chronic pain conditions. Please visit our Science & Education website to watch entertaining educational videos and read through some of the more pertinent scientific studies. 

Ketamine starts working within hours. The effects of ketamine are fast following an infusion however there is data to show that these effects typically last only a week if a single infusion is done. A full treatment series has more long-lasting results which are why a treatment series of 6 is recommended. We want to make sure that these new brain cells are making the right connections therefore we use integration sessions with your treatments to help you with the right thought patterns and behaviors so that these effects can last as long as possible.

REQUEST A CONSULTATION