1st ketamine treatment for depression

[LTChris]

I know, insurance not great though

 

[Tommy Wall]

Here in Europe its called " date rape drug" when the drug is abused in wrong hands

 

[Vince]

Here in Europe its called " date rape drug" when the drug is abused in wrong hands

I believe it's a horse anesthetic and has been used as a party drug. It's definitely very beneficial for depression in humans.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Look into a good psychotherapist, probably a male with an open mind on this kind of alternative treatment. Meds alone, even ketamine, are seldom the answer to depression.

I agree 100%

 

[LTChris]

5th treatment update: We increased dosage to 70mg/kg this time, 5mg push in the beginning. Not much noticeable difference in last dosage. Again, treatment seems to go by faster and I come out of it more quickly. Still loss of balance for the rest of the day. Slept like a baby though. So far most benefit in mood and awareness. It has not helped much in fatigue or motivation, which is concerning.

I did manage to find a therapist that my insurance will cover as suggested by my friends above. My first session is today for that. Not a lot to choose from in my area. It is a woman (not sure is that will matter) but hopefully we will be a good match. I appreciate all the support.

I have one more ketamine treatment tomorrow. Then we will wait and see how long I can go without a booster.

 

[LTChris]

Treatment went well last night. Increased to 75 mg/kg with a 10mg push in the beginning this time. Little more intense, but better. Again i come out of it faster but balance is effected for longer for rest of day.

All in all my mood is definitely better. Fatigue and modivation not effected as much as i would have liked. I can still take a couple of weeks though to get full benefit.

Going to at least attemp to push through insurance. Not optimistic.

I think this treatment is worth a shot for anyone suffering if u can afford it. I will update thread when i have to go back for a booster . Hopefully not for a couple months.

 

[Mountain Man]

I believe it's a horse anesthetic and has been used as a party drug. It's definitely very beneficial for depression in humans.

Beneficial along with behavioral changes. Much like TRT, no med is a magic bullet. What good psychotropic drugs do is give a person a fighting chance to engage in behavioral changes. Some therapy can be the key. Any med, even one that initially works, will plateau if the client is relying solely on that. In this case, ketamine and a program of CBT as therapy mya be very helpful is sustaining. And, no intervention works for everybody.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

I agree that ketamine infusions with no post counseling are not as effective. Too bad most infusion clinics are not set up that way. They want you in and out. Nice cash business.

 

[LTChris]

I did manage to get set up with a therapist. First session next week

 

[LTChris]

about 2 weeks since finishing initial treatments. Still feel decent. Mood is still better. Unfortunately, maybe too late for marriage. Too much going on in life to get a good read for how the treatment is working. Doing my best to stay positive. I am trying to push off anymore ketamine for a month or two. I am also giving LDN (low dose naltraxone) a shot for a while.

 

[Mountain Man]

about 2 weeks since finishing initial treatments. Still feel decent. Mood is still better. Unfortunately, maybe too late for marriage. Too much going on in life to get a good read for how the treatment is working. Doing my best to stay positive. I am trying to push off anymore ketamine for a month or two. I am also giving LDN (low dose naltraxone) a shot for a while.

Figure this out. All the ketamine in the world won’t fix a bad marriage. This is the biggest reason for counseling before these experimental medications or any meds. A lot of things in life can’t be fixed on the outside and meds are not the answer. Many medical interventions are initially fueled by placebo effects. I also think that too many of us look for the magic pill or the next cutting edge shiny object. Unfortunately, while medical interventions can be helpful, it’s often more complicated. Also interesting that people who are anti med while be open to things like ketamine, lo dose LSD, and psychedelic drugs to help them. A drug is a drug and nothing is fool proof or without risks.

 

[LTChris]

I get it, i get it! Therapy takes a while though, and i am pursuing that. I am just looking for some immediate relief until therapy pays off.

 

[Mountain Man]

I get it, i get it! Therapy takes a while though, and i am pursuing that. I am just looking for some immediate relief until therapy pays off.

Sorry if I sound too opinionated, but I work in the field and see this all the time. As a psychotherapist, I’m the one that has to explain this to clients after these things fail. I should be the guy they see before if they are considering these interventions. Couldn’t help myself, I just think 23 years doing this makes me qualified to chime in.

 

[LTChris]

No worries, just a frustrating time for me. I appreciate your experience and opinions. I would much rather have blunt then sugarcoated.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Sorry if I sound too opinionated, but I work in the field and see this all the time. As a psychotherapist, I’m the one that has to explain this to clients after these things fail. I should be the guy they see before if they are considering these interventions. Couldn’t help myself, I just think 23 years doing this makes me qualified to chime in.

You should do online consultations

 

[madman]

Sex differences in sub-anesthetic ketamine's antidepressant effects and abuse liability


Conclusions and future directions

The discovery of ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects has invigorated the field of psychiatry and given hope to millions of patients and caretakers. However, little is known about the long-term effects of repeated exposure to ketamine, and the addiction field has demonstrated that the neurobiological effects of acute vs chronic ketamine result in very different molecular profiles. A question clinicians may have is: where is the threshold at which the benefits of therapeutic, antidepressant ketamine become overshadowed by its risk of addiction? As women are twice as likely to develop depression and progress through the stages of addiction faster than men, are they at an increased risk? Preclinical literature reviewed therein suggests that female rats are more sensitive to ketamine’s effects, but more research is needed in preclinical and clinical studies to fully understand sub-anesthetic ketamine.

 

[burnoutat42]

I have ready calming music is the way to go. The clinic I was at had a noise machine with calming sounds and white noise. I wanted to try to completely isolate my surroundings. I used the eye mask that nelson had suggested in another thread. it worked great.
The feeling kind of comes on slow and hits you in waves. I kind of felt like I left my body for a bit. I had a digital voice recorder on next to me to record any thoughts I might have. Nothing on the recording though. I don't think I moved an inch the entire time. My Doctor says some of her patients say nothing, some talk constantly, some cry. I never said a word.
I tried to concentrate on breathing and kept the mantra "give in and let go" repeat in my mind. There was a blood pressure sleeve on my that measured my levels every 10-15 min. As the cuff tightened it would momentarily bring me back to the present. I hope to focus more on recording how I feel during it in future treatments. For the first one I just wanted to relax and experience it. I do think fasting helped, but I pretty wobbly afterwards.

Next treatment tomorrow!

I desperately want to try this however it's recommended one is "Benzo Free", for at least six months prior to "ketamine IV infusion".

 

[LTChris]

good luck with it, I hope it works well for you

 

[Nelson Vergel]

The price of the new esketamine (Brand name: Spravato) nasal spray!

"ICER’s evaluation of long-term cost-effectiveness found that the fair value-based price benchmark for esketamine is between $17,700 and $25,200 per year, a range that would require a 25-52% discount from the announced list price of $32,400. Consistent with ICER’s value-assessment framework, esketamine is deemed to deliver a “low value for money” because the treatment’s incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, using the current list price, exceeds $175,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained."

Source: https://icer-review.org/announcements/trd_final_report/

 

[wondering]

I have an 8 year old granddaughter, who is very intelligent. Top percent for her age group in math and comprehension. She suffers from many mental issues, ADHD, anxiety and anger issues. She does go to school full-time and see his psychologist regularly. I wonder if ketamine treatment would help her. I have a call in at our local Clinic, waiting for them to call me back.

I would recommend IASIS Neurofeedback for her. I have tried it's the real thing. Finding it near you may be difficult, but maybe open a business and do it yourself.