Who Is Eligible for Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
You’re tired of losing the battle for your pain every day and the inability to see meaningful results. Perhaps you have a major depressive disorder or you feel like there is no hope.
These are two examples of how ketamine infusion therapy can provide much-needed assistance for those who feel helpless.
Behind Ketamine
Because of its ability to quickly suppress pain, ketamine was introduced as an anesthetic in the 1980s. Medical experts discovered that the drug was a promising treatment for many other conditions, such as chronic neuropathic pain or depression.
The FDA approved ketamine’s use in 2019 because it was so effective in treating treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.
We don’t know the exact mechanism of ketamine’s success, but we do know that it acts quickly to change the way neurons in your brain communicate with each other.
In particular, ketamine binds with receptors in the brain that activate the release of molecules that create new pathways within your brain. This positively affects mood and thoughts.
Ketamine blocks N-methyl-d -aspartate receptors in the brain, which is what causes pain relief. Because they amplify pain signaling, your NMDA receptors are a key part of the pain.
Ketamine is thought to be able to reduce inflammation in addition to blocking pain.
We want to emphasize again that we are still researching the exact mechanism of ketamine’s effectiveness as an antidepressant and painkiller, but we know that many of our patients have found relief.
Eligibility for Ketamine
We’ve already discussed depression and chronic pain as two examples of when ketamine is effective. Let’s now take a closer look.
We use ketamine for pain relief.
Chronic back and neck pain
Neuropathy
Fibromyalgia
Most cases of ketamine use are after other pain management options have been exhausted, such as injections and medications.
These techniques are effective but can lead to addiction to pain medication. We use ketamine infusion therapy to deliver controlled amounts of the drug, which triggers pain relief and helps avoid addiction.
We can use ketamine injections to treat major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Ketamine’s quick action is particularly useful in stopping depression from spiraling into suicidal thoughts.
We perform a thorough analysis of your past and present health to determine if you are a candidate for ketamine injection therapy. To determine if ketamine may be the right treatment for you, we also look at any previous treatments. A medical professional wrote this article at Florida Medical Pain Management. Florida Medical Pain Management is proud to offer comprehensive pain management services to a diverse group of patients. Patients at Florida Medical Pain Management can get help managing hip, knee, leg, and neck pain. The practice also offers comprehensive arthritis management, along with treatments for auto accidents, sports, and work injuries as well as ketamine infusion.