When it comes to treating depression, antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been the primary option for mental health practitioners since the 1980s. However, ketamine therapy has recently gained traction as a safe, effective treatment that works in a fundamentally different way than SSRIs.
At Illuminate, our mission is to help our patients find a path to better physical and mental health through evidence-based and compassionate interventions. Ketamine treatments are an excellent choice for many people suffering from depression and we believe it can often provide more beneficial outcomes in a shorter time frame than traditional antidepressants.
How Does Ketamine Work Differently Than SSRIs?
Antidepressants work by targeting chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. These chemicals send messages between brain cells, and antidepressants aim to increase their production over time. As a result, they play a key part in the regulation of mood, emotions, and behavior.
Ketamine was initially developed as an anesthetic in the 1960s and in recent years, has been used to effectively treat depression, especially in people who haven’t responded positively to traditional antidepressants. Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system, as found in many mental health disorders, keeps the body in a constant state of “fight or flight.” While traditional anti-depressants typically work as a band-aid by attempting to flood your brain with “feel good” hormones, Ketamine is the only medication to facilitate a root-cause approach – by blocking the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the NMDA receptors in your brain. This effectively ramps down your entire nervous system. In combination with the psychedelic properties of Ketamine, this therapy produces a lifelong change. In the days after a Ketamine experience, the neuroplasticity of your brain is significantly increased due to a surge in Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (essentially food for brain), allowing for long-term creation of positive behaviors and thought patterns that are not dependent on daily medication.
Ketamine Therapy Provides a Rapid Onset of Action
One of the chief advantages of ketamine therapy how quickly it goes into action. Many people report feeling better within hours after receiving the treatment, are remarkably faster timeline than the weeks or months it may take for antidepressants to start working.
Because antidepressants may take weeks to address symptoms, individuals and mental health practitioners won’t know whether a treatment is effective, if doses or specific drugs need to be changed, or if someone is treatment-resistant for a significant period. But after an intravenous ketamine treatment, most people notice some level of relief.
Ketamine: A Potential Solution for Those Seeking Alternates
Although most people with depression respond well to antidepressants, up to 30 percent don’t experience positive results. For these individuals, it’s likely they have already taken several different types of antidepressants at various doses without seeing any benefit.
When people with treatment-resistant depression take a single treatment of low-dose ketamine, recent clinical trials show that 50 – 70 percent experience a dramatic improvement in symptoms.
Studies also show that during ketamine therapy, the drug crosses the blood-brain barrier more efficiently than antidepressants, such as SSRIs or SNRIs. Because of this increased ability to enter the brain, ketamine may potentially provide more potent relief from depression symptoms.
What About Side Effects?
Antidepressants can trigger side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, headaches, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and more. They may even increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially in children and young adults.
Ketamine has fewer side effects, and they tend to be mild and short-lived. A temporary elevated heart rate and blood pressure spike often occurs, but these side effects usually don’t impact the treatment. Many people report feeling a bit drowsy during the infusion treatment, but this only lasts for a short time.
Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?
Low-dose Ketamine also has an impressive safety record. The key is that the treatment needs to happen under careful medical supervision provided by medical professionals. The team at Illuminate follows recommendations from the American Psychiatric Association and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Our ketamine infusions are administered and supervised by a Nurse Anesthetist in collaboration with our medical director, a board-certified MD Psychiatrist.
At Illuminate Integrative Health in Newport News, VA, our team provides innovative treatments such as Ketamine therapy that can result in a breakthrough for your depression treatment plan, especially when traditional methods have failed. Contact us today to schedule a discovery call and learn more about how this promising therapy can put you on the path to healing and resilience.
