The term “Treatment-resistant depression” describes when two or more oral antidepressant medications (such as Prozac or Zoloft) do not sufficiently treat a patient’s symptoms. About one third of depressed patients in treatment for depression do not respond to traditional antidepressants, which focus on helping the brain produce and maintain serotonin levels. Ketamine therapy works differently, by repairing damaged connections and pathways that result from depression.
Intravenous ketamine therapy and esketamine nasal spray are given in sub-anesthetic doses to treat mental health conditions. At Balance Ketamine Clinics in Chicago, we calculate the dose based on the patient’s weight, starting at about 0.5 mg/kg. This low-dose treatment is generally safe for adults and produces limited side effects. Some patients report feelings of dissociation or dizziness, while others feel nothing. It is unclear if feelings of dissociation, or having an out-of-body experience, indicate whether or not the patient’s depressive symptoms will respond to ketamine therapy.
Ketamine infusions have an approximately 70% response rate in patients, and ketamine can be rapid-acting: it can potentially be felt as early as 24 hours after the first treatment. Outside of the infusion experience, patients generally do not experience side effects and there is no daily dose of ketamine. If you are part of the 30% of patients who do not respond to ketamine therapy, you will know within a few treatments and can decide to use a different course of action, rather than the 6-8 weeks of treatment that is usually required before determining patient response to an oral antidepressant.
If you or someone you know is depressed, please make an appointment to see if you are a good candidate for ketamine.
At Balance Ketamine Clinics in Chicago, our mission is to make this revolutionary treatment accessible to everyone.
Click or call to set up an evaluation today.
