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Any experience with Ketamine infusions for severe clinical depression?


umsami
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If anybody out there has any experience with ketamine infusions for severe clinical depression, can you either PM me or post below?  Have a loved one who has cycled in and out of severe depression for years.  Been very excited by the small studies showing results with psychadelics, and the fact that ketamine is legally available now in some clinics gives us new hope. Psilocybin and LSD currently are only available in university clinical trials, which are few and far between.  

 

For those who haven't heard of it, basically some studies suggest that even 1-2 infusions of ketamine can make a giant difference for those with severe clinical depression as well as other things like OCD.  Unlike most anti-depressants, there isn't a 6-12 week before one sees results or knows if it's working.  There have been some clinics that have sprung up around the country that offer this.  Usually, it's about $500-$600 per infusion....not covered by insurance.  They recommend 12 infusions, but most say you can tell if it will work after the second infusion.

 

To see how ketamine affects the brain, check out this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/19/brain-scans-reveal-mind-opening-response-to-psychedelic-drug-trip-lsd-ketamine-psilocybin

 

Ketamine and Depression:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/03/depression-medication-fda-psychadelics-ketamine-psilocybin-johnson-and-johnson-mdma

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

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I recall reading that dextromethorpan can work similarly at the NDMA receptors (as in, Walgreens Wal-tussin DM gelcaps, at normal adult dose, though obviously ketamine is probably a high-dose situation, so I'm not sure how those are compared).  I don't really remember, but if the receptor is blocked, when it is unblocked there can still be excess glutamate waiting, such that symptoms may return.  In that light, it's probably a bandaid approach but if there can be temporary relief, that's definitely something to consider.  I would do a lot of googling/reading about what to expect after the effect wears off, especially if you can find articles at pubmed.  (ETA, when I have tried to google this topic in the past, a lot of unsavory discussion websites come up)

Edited by wapiti
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Dh did a 5 day infusion for CRPS. It didn't work for him, but that's a totally different thing than depression. The infusion itself went smoothly. The recovery period (getting it out of his system and feeling human again) was WAY longer than we anticipated- about 10 days. That caused a lot of anxiety, because he started to panic about whether it was going to be permanent.

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