Ketamine and Depression From Hopeless To Hopeful In Hours- Experimental Studies Show Promise For Low-Dose, Non-Opioid Pediatric Anesthetic As Fast-Acting, Enduring Relief Of Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)

By Robert E. Litman, MD

CBH Health, LLC

. https://www.cbhhealth.com/

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Ketamine and Depression From Hopeless To Hopeful In Hours- Experimental Studies Show Promise For Low-Dose, Non-Opioid Pediatric Anesthetic As Fast-Acting, Enduring Relief Of Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)

Recent experimental research conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program “have shown unprecedented responses to ketamine within a single day and sometimes just a couple of hours” in patients with treatment resistant depression.

Ketamine Old Drug, New Application

For more than three decades, ketamine has been safely used for general anesthesia. Now, new applications of this old drug are showing profound promise in treating depression, and in a measurable way. In a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology (April 2017), patients reported reduced depressive symptoms, from low-dose ketamine infusions, within one hour of treatment. The relief lasted between 3-7 days. Patients are usually recommended to return for additional infusions, but experience relief for more time between treatments. The positive effects from ketamine infusions, can sometimes last longer than 3-7 days, eventually allowing patients to continuously spread out their treatments, over time.

Esketamine FDA Designates Similar Compound As “Breakthrough”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for esketamine, a similar antidepressant medication, for major depressive disorder (MDD) with imminent risk for suicide. If approved by the FDA, esketamine would be one of the first new approaches to treat MDD in the last 50 years.

Can Ketamine Help? Are You A Candidate?

If you (or a loved one) are interested in ketamine therapy, consider consulting an established psychiatrist already participating in ketamine focused clinical research. These clinicians can adeptly screen for good candidacy and expertly monitor and adjust your treatment to promote an optimal result.

If a patient is deemed to be a good candidate for this experimental treatment, the general protocol is to administer two treatments a week, over the course of four weeks, in a clinical-setting, under close medical supervision. Moreover, out-of-town patients, seeking ketamine treatment, may be accommodated with tailored protocol.

If you or a loved one are interested in learning whether this new treatment is for you, why not take the next step and seek the relief you deserve?