Ketamine is one of the latest developments in antidepressant options, attracting the interest of hundreds of researchers. At ReNew Wellness in Gilbert, Arizona, our team recommends ketamine infusions to help you live your life happily and to the fullest.
Keep reading to learn how ketamine benefits cognitive function and can help you with various medical conditions.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine originated in Belgium in the 1960s when chemists developed it as animal anesthesia. Ketamine was approved for human use in the 1970s.
Over time, emergency responders began giving ketamine to patients to help them calm down, and its effects on depression, PTSD, and other serious psychological conditions started to become known. Researchers and doctors began to take a closer look at the drug and started testing and studying its effects on depression.
While it’s safe in a clinical setting, ketamine can have serious side effects when taken chronically or recreationally. Potential side effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Psychosis
- Hallucinations
- Insomnia
Advantages of ketamine
In a five-year Columbia University research trial, researchers discovered ketamine administered through an IV quickly reduced depression symptoms and suicidal ideation. They also saw an improvement in the patient’s ability to think clearly and problem-solve, even in those who didn’t experience improvement in their depression symptoms.
Suicidal ideation isn’t only related to depression, but also to a person’s ability to think clearly. The reason ketamine reduces suicidal thoughts is that it increases cognitive functioning to enable you to gain clarity and feel safer.
While researchers know ketamine makes temporary changes to your brain’s synapses, they also theorize that ketamine combined with other antidepressant treatments could make these connections permanent, eventually curing some of depression.
Medical conditions ketamine treats
Ketamine can help with many different medical conditions and some forms of chronic pain, including:
- Chronic depression
- Tinnitus
- Migraines
- Postpartum depression
- Bipolar disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Treatment-resistant depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Addiction
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Adolescent treatment-resistant depression
- Parkinson’s disease
- Neuropathy
Knowing if ketamine is right for you
If you suffer from depression and regular antidepressants have offered no relief of your symptoms, you may be a good candidate for ketamine treatments. After a thorough psychological evaluation and physical exam, our team recommends treatment for your specific case.
Reach out to ReNew Wellness today by calling our office or requesting an appointment online.