Ketamine is a medication which has generally been used for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. In anesthetic doses, ketamine induces dissociative anesthesia, a trance-like state, providing pain relief, sedation, and amnesia. The distinguishing features of ketamine anesthesia are preserved breathing and airway reflexes. Ketamine is very safe and was utilized for soldiers in Vietnam as early as the 1960’s. It was approved for use in the U.S. in 1970. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed ketamine as an essential medication, adding it to the “WHO Essential Medications List” in 1985.
At lower, sub-anesthetic doses, ketamine is now being utilized for chronic pain syndromes, PTSD, depression, especially treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders, autoimmune disorders, and many more. Ketamine has been studied and promoted by researchers at the National institute of Mental Health, and has had front-page publicity as the newest antidepressant with its own novel pharmacological mechanism of action.
One proposed way that ketamine triggers glutamate release in the brain is through blocking NMDA receptors on inhibitory neurons. These neurons release neurotransmitters (blue), which keep other neurons from firing and releasing their stores of glutamate (left). Once the glutamate gets released, it triggers synaptic formation and strengthening in the brain (right).
Credit: Credit: Yang H. Ku/C&EN
Ketamine has a different mechanism of action than all of the other medications used for chronic pain and mood disorders. Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist, where the NMDA receptor is involved in memory and learning. Ketamine’s down stream effect also increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which stimulates neurological growth and repair.
Ketamine is formally classified as a dissociative anesthetic. Dissociative meaning it creates a sense of disconnection from ordinary reality and one’s body. At Quest, the sub-anesthetic dosage you receive will produce an antidepressant, anxiolytic, analgesic and often a psychoactive effect. The ketamine experience differs from person to person, and each session can be slightly different. The experiences are overwhelmingly reported as positive, and are regarded as “life changing” by many.
The majority report positive changes after the first treatment, however, the results are shown to increase significantly with repeated sessions. The majority of the data recommends receiving at least 6 treatments to maximize results, however, positive changes are seen early in the treatment process. These positive changes have been shown to increase and continue days to weeks after the infusion series ends. We recommend you engage in activities you previously found joy in during the treatment process and beyond. This can include taking walks, hiking, biking, playing sports or talking to an old friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. This has been found to heighten the healing process.
To have a Quest representative call you for up to 15 minutes of Q&A to discuss whether ketamine treatment is right for you.
If you want to contact us directly, email us at info@questketamineclinics.com, call us at (425) 654-5433 , or text us at (206) 589-5958. Please leave your name, contact information, and the best time(s) to reach you, and we will get back to you then.
