treatment for depression
ketamine treatment for depression
Is ketamine treatment an effective treatment for people suffering from debilitating depression? Here's what you need to know
Nicole Bayman had battled depression unsuccessfully for nearly her whole life, trying dozens of antidepressants, attending therapy, and even receiving in-patient treatment in a hospital. About six months ago, she learned from her therapist about ketamine, a prescription medication that’s approved for use in hospitals and other medical settings as an anesthetic and is now gaining widespread attention as a treatment for depression. Soon after she began receiving regular infusions of ketamine, Bayman says, the depression began to lift.
“I feel like a different person,” says Bayman, an attorney who lives in Princeton, New Jersey. “It’s as if there were a veil over me and the veil was lifted. Before I started to receive ketamine, I could barely get out of bed. Now I can walk my walk and re-engage in life.”
Bayman is not the only individual suffering from depression whose symptoms improved dramatically while on ketamine. Although it’s been abused in the past as a “recreational drug” because of its hallucinogenic and tranquilizing effects (known on the street as “Special K”), today ketamine is drawing a lot of positive attention because it is being used “off-label” to treat treatment-resistant depression—and patients are happy with the results. (When a drug is “off label,” it’s being used to treat a condition in a way that has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.)
Why Ketamine?
Steven Levine, MD has treated more than 3,000 patients with ketamine since it opened in 2011. Worldwide, he says, 10-15,000 patients have been treated with ketamine. Dr. Levine says that ketamine is an excellent medication to use for depression. But why would someone ultimately turn to ketamine when there are other, FDA-approved, antidepressants available?
“We have a crisis going on today and the traditional medications for depression aren’t very effective,” Dr. Levine says. “While ketamine is not FDA-approved for depression, 70% of the medications prescribed today are ‘off label’ for at least one use.” Commonly-prescribed antidepressants are also rarely fast-acting—taking weeks or months before a patient experiences any relief from the debilitating symptoms of depression. They can also cause nausea, drowsiness or insomnia, and constipation. Additionally, weight gain—which is associated with commonly-prescribed anti-depressants—is NOT a side effect of ketamine,” Dr. Levine says adding that its fast-acting nature may be the most important feature of the medication.
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