Ketamine Infusion Therapy for PTSD
PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs after significant trauma such as being in a war zone, abuse or rape. Any life-threatening situation with great fear can imprint this trauma on an individual. They continue to suffer this stressful condition. Symptoms such as relieving the event, feeling hyperarousal (keyed up and on edge) as well as avoiding certain triggering situations as well as having many negative feelings. It is very difficult for those that suffer from PTSD. An alternative treatment is ketamine infusion therapy for PTSD.
The standard treatment medications are serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and or talk therapies such as “Trauma Focused Psychotherapy”. Other therapies such as “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” are also used. These are sometimes used alone or in combination with each other. Traditional therapies such as these are sometimes successful and may help the individual. However, sometimes they are not, and the PTSD patient will continue to suffer. Of all of these, the most successful treatment appears to be “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy”. This enjoys some success and should be tried before moving into a new treatment for PTSD. Yet once these therapies fail, one may want to consider alternate therapies such as those found at our clinic.
A new treatment is emerging using Ketamine infusion for PTSD.
Given in small doses by intravenous administration has been found in small-scale studies to help PTSD. It is believed to work in an unusual fashion. What is believed is that by rerouting nerve endings this creates new synaptic connections. A synapse is how nerves communicate. Thus, in the brain, these brain cells learn new ways to communicate breaking the old habits which produce PTSD. If this is true, this may one way to change the brain.
One such study was a “proof of concept study” was carried out and the results of Ketamine infusion was associated with a significant and rapid reduction in PTSD symptoms severity, compared with midazolam, when assessed 24 hours after infusion (mean difference in Impact of Event Scale-Revised score was 12.7 [95% CI, 2.5-22.8]; P = 0.02).
However, it should be cautioned that not every patient will respond favorably and this certainly is not standard care for PTSD. One should have tried the traditional and more accepted approaches to PTSD treatment. One should also be working with a mental health professional before coming to our Ketamine Clinic.