Can ketamine infusion help address the root cause of depression?

Depression is one of the three most common mental illnesses in the world, coming second only to anxiety disorders. Depression can be a life-altering condition that robs you of joy and excitement, making each day a struggle.

Despite its severity, the majority of people with depression respond well to medications and talk therapy — but what if you’re one of the outliers for whom nothing seems to work? If that’s the case, then you may have treatment-resistant depression.

This type of illness can be overwhelming because you can experience unabated symptoms for months or years at a time. This puts you more at risk of developing other conditions, like substance use disorders, as well as being more likely to turn to self-harm.

To help those struggling with treatment-resistant depression, there’s an option that is showing promising results: ketamine infusions. Learn more about treatment-resistant depression and what this treatment can do for you.

What Is Treatment-Resistant Depression?

Treatment-resistant depression (TDR) is a form of major depressive disorder. Like other types of depression, it can cause disturbed moods, sleeping problems, and changes in appetite, but symptoms may be more severe and don’t respond to traditional treatments.

One serious symptom is anhedonia, which is a decreased ability to experience pleasure. Someone with TDR is also more likely to have longer-lasting depressive episodes.

Diagnosing TDR isn’t always easy. To meet the criteria for this condition, you must have tried two different first-line antidepressants for an equal length of time without a diminishment in symptoms.

For major depressive disorder, first-line antidepressants tend to be selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Doctors usually offer these options because they lead to less severe side effects than other medications.

If you’ve not experienced any relief from these drugs, or any combination that your doctor prescribes, then you can be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression.

Causes and Risk Factors of Treatment-Resistant Depression

As with other forms of depression, it’s not entirely clear why some people suffer from TDR. Often, those who have this condition develop it after having been successfully treated with antidepressants in the past. Scientists suppose that, over time, the brain’s neuroplasticity causes the medications to no longer work as they used to.

There are many TDR risk factors, as well. People who lead high-stress lives or who have lower incomes tend to experience TDR more often. That points to an environmental factor.

Those who have experienced trauma have a higher risk of developing TDR, as well. People who have lived through childhood abuse not only are more likely to have treatment-resistant depression, but the depression can also present with psychotic symptoms, making it even more complex to treat.

Those who have longer-lasting depressive episodes or who have been dealing with untreated depression for years are more likely to have TDR, too. The chances also increase if they suffer from a co-occurring anxiety disorder.

What Is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that was first developed in the 1960s. It became a staple of both human and veterinary medicine because of its powerful effects. Ketamine is a Schedule III drug, which means it’s regulated, but it does have medicinal uses.

Ketamine affects certain receptors in the brain, leading to positive results. In fact, it works like a fast-acting antidepressant by impacting glutamate receptors and other neurotransmitters. Glutamate can contribute to the development of depression, so using ketamine to block its receptors can mean symptom relief.

What to Expect From Ketamine Infusions for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Ketamine infusions involve receiving low doses of ketamine intravenously while under the supervision of a medical professional. Treatment typically consists of receiving decreasing doses over several weeks. Ketamine infusions are done as an outpatient procedure.

You will be assessed by a mental health professional to ensure that you’re a good candidate. This means getting your full medical and mental health history. If your therapist thinks that you could benefit from ketamine infusions, they can help you arrange your first session.

Before each treatment, you might have a pre-ketamine therapy session with your therapist to help you prepare and get into the right mindset.

The sessions begin with you getting comfortable in a peaceful room. Once you’re ready, your doctor will start the IV. After only a short time, you can expect to start feeling the effects of the ketamine. You’ll feel more relaxed and could also experience a warming sensation throughout your body.

Many people report feeling like they’re standing outside of themselves, which allows them to get perspective on their feelings and thoughts. These sensations are the result of ketamine’s dissociative effects.

People struggling with TDR often feel relief during their sessions. It’s almost like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.

Although the infusions last an average of 40 minutes, you’ll be monitored for up to two hours to ensure that you feel comfortable and that your experience is a positive one. Within 24 hours, you will have a psychotherapy session to take advantage of the improvement of your symptoms to make strides in your treatment.

The exact number of sessions you receive will depend on lots of factors. Your therapist and the clinicians administering your ketamine infusions will give you a clear idea of what to expect.

Benefits of Ketamine Infusion for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Ketamine infusions can be an excellent treatment option for those struggling with treatment-resistant depression. It offers numerous benefits with an excellent safety profile.

Ability to Personalize Your Treatment

A significant benefit of this therapy option is that you can work with your therapist to find the right treatment duration and frequency. Your brain chemistry is unique, and that requires flexible treatment options.

By carefully assessing both your mental and physical health, your clinician will be able to structure a plan that works for your needs. Typically, the ketamine dosage will decrease as the weeks pass, but how much it decreases and how quickly it does so would depend on your experience with the therapy and the results you’re seeing.

Fewer Side Effects Than Oral Antidepressants

Antidepressants are well-known for their side effects. They can cause sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and a variety of unpleasant issues that discourage people from even beginning treatment.

Ketamine infusion therapy might cause a few side effects right after the sessions, but they fade quickly. You could have visual disturbances and feel like you’re in a dream-like state, but it typically will not lead to any long-term effects. Because you will remain under the care of your provider for a bit after the session, they can address any concerns you have.

Fast Relief With Intravenous Treatment

Ketamine offers the effects of an antidepressant, but it does so at warp speed. Instead of needing to wait for weeks to feel even the slightest bit better, you get fast relief from the symptoms that are causing harm. In just three or four hours, it’s possible to feel a shift in your mood.

Effects Last for Weeks

Another important benefit that ketamine therapy offers is that its effects last for weeks and sometimes months. This time provides the opportunity to continue working with your therapist on making behavioral changes that can impact your mental well-being.

Improvement in Many Depression Symptoms

Ketamine infusions help to address numerous symptoms of TDR. It helps with anhedonia, allowing you to start experiencing pleasure again, and it can also reduce anxiety. On top of that, you can also start seeing a significant improvement in your mood.

The improvement of all of these symptoms results in a better quality of life while also giving you the motivation you need to continue working toward long-lasting healing. For many, the symptoms of depression can be so serious that they make the idea of sitting in a room with a therapist impossible to contemplate.

Leaving your home may be a struggle, and holistic options like exercise and other self-care tasks might be beyond your reach. Getting just a bit of symptom relief from ketamine could be enough to facilitate those strategies and get you started down the path toward positive mental health.

Can Be Combined With Other Treatments

Not only can ketamine infusions be combined with other treatment modalities, but they actually work best when that’s the case. Although ketamine can make lasting changes to your brain structure and can help heal imbalances that could be causing your symptoms, you need to combine it with behavioral therapies.

Behavioral therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, help you to understand how your thought processes can impact your mood and affect your conduct. By making a concerted effort to improve the way you look at situations while also learning mindfulness and relaxation techniques, it’s possible to start truly healing.

Decreased Hopelessness and Suicidal Thoughts

People struggling with treatment-resistant depression often battle suicidal ideation. By rapidly alleviating depressive symptoms, ketamine therapy can be a lifeline for those who are on the verge of self-harm.

Ketamine Infusion Therapy Results in Better Health

It’s not just your mental health that can improve with ketamine infusions. Depression causes serious changes to your sleeping patterns and eating habits.

Don’t underestimate the effect that improper nutrition and lack of sleep can have on your mental health. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can make depressive symptoms worse, and lack of sleep can cause a spike in anxiety and stress. By improving depressive symptoms, you can start getting more rest and the nutrients that you need.

Are You a Candidate for Ketamine Infusion?

If you have treatment-resistant depression, you could be a good candidate for ketamine infusions. As long as you’re in good overall health and understand what the process will involve, you don’t have to worry about jumping through a lot of hoops to get help.

Your provider may not offer this option, however, if you’re experiencing psychosis; ketamine can make this issue worse. If you’ve had a substance use disorder or you’re actively struggling with one, ketamine is likely not the right choice because it can cause euphoria in some people.

Thinking Outside the Box With Ketamine Infusion Therapy

Having treatment-resistant depression can mean not being able to enjoy your life the way that you deserve. Because none of the treatments you’ve tried have worked, getting relief from symptoms may feel hopeless.

Ketamine infusion therapy, however, targets the condition in a different manner than antidepressants, giving you a chance to break free from overwhelming symptoms. With dedicated professionals helping you, you can experience the results you deserve.

At Plus by APN, we offer ketamine therapy combined with talk therapy sessions as part of our mental health program. If you’re struggling through your days and aren’t sure how much longer you can deal with your symptoms, don’t wait another moment.

To learn more about ketamine treatments at Plus by APN, call 424.644.6486 or fill out our confidential contact form to speak with one of our experts.

References

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