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Ketamines for anxiety work just like the way it works for depression. There is an abundance of knowing and understanding about the successful use of ketamines. To commence with, let us try to know what ketamine is, its nature, and its metabolism.
1. What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine is well known for treating anxiety, depression, and many other mental health 1conditions. Among all these, ketamines for anxiety disorders and depression are the most important aspect of the whole concept.
Ketamine is a chiral compound derived from arylcyclohexylamine. It is very similar to psychedelic hallucinogenic drugs. Ketamine is a dissociative hallucinogenic drug similar to psychedelics. However, It differs from psychedelics in neurobiological activity. It possesses both psychedelic and psychotic properties. The antidepressive effect of Ketamine is because it is an NMDA receptor antagonist.
Today, Ketamine has made it to the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines Ketamine was discovered and approved in 1970 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the Vietnam War.
2. Successful Use Of Ketamines
Ketamine is prescribed to a patient to initiate and maintain anesthesia, which acts as a sedative and a pain reliever for the patient. However, the advantages occurred to the body due to ketamine disappearing with time, and repeated usage of ketamine for anxiety is not yet studied.
Many times, ketamine for anxiety can cause several completely expected and normal symptoms like hallucinations and paranoia. It stimulates psychotic 2episodes in a few individuals, which includes positive effects for schizophrenic patients. Other side effects like blood pressure imbalance, liver toxicity, urine toxicity, and nausea can be witnessed when administered in higher doses.
Ketamine is a quick-working drug, and exploration upholds the possibility that it could forestall suicidal thoughts. As per research, it is portrayed that a patient reacting decidedly to ketamine quickly diminishes the suicidal contemplations in the patient and soothes the patient from genuine depression and mood disorders.
Well-known Dr. Masand Ketamines, while supporting the use of ketamine for anxiety, said that Ketamines could play a significant role in treating anxiety disorders.
Till now, there are two types of ketamine therapy available for treatment purposes. The first is intravenous ketamine infusion therapy, and the second is nasal spray therapy.
IV Ketamine infusion therapy is widely accepted and practiced for the treatment of patients. According to the research, Ketamine IV infusion therapy is the most efficient. On the other hand, nasal spray is not used much by many clinics as ketamine for anxiety treatment.
2. Successful Use Of Ketamines: How Does It Work?
According to Dr. Masand, an adjunct professor at the Academic Medicine Education Institute, individuals with anxiety disorders are currently treated with the help of a generic antidepressant-like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI), or a benzodiazepine. If a patient does not respond to any of these drugs, they get a trial of another drug from several others.
Glutamate, a widely distributed stimulatory neurotransmitter, plays an active role in generating a stress response. Ketamine is an ionotropic NMDA receptor. The anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects of this drug occur by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase 3, activating the target of rapamycin signaling, and stimulating synaptic plasticity by enhancing brain-derived neurotrophic factor translation and secretion.
These brain-derived neurotrophic factors are important for the behavioral responses to classical antidepressant drugs, but it takes several weeks to impact synaptic plasticity. On the other hand, ketamine-mediated synaptic plasticity changes occur earlier, within hours after the administration of ketamine for anxiety.
3. Successful Use Of Ketamines For Anxiety
In multiple trials, those with anxious depression found that ketamine infusions were significantly effective in treating their symptoms. This means that ketamine may be a viable treatment for depression and anxiety3, particularly in cases that don’t reply to ancient medications.
The exact structural metabolism of ketamine is not yet known. However, it can be said that it functions as an antidepressant that assists patients in managing depression and anxiety through the functioning of ketamine is entirely different than that of other antidepressant drugs.
Due to ketamine body undergoes several processes that in one way or another help in combating anxiety. Using ketamine for anxiety can greatly affect the patient’s overall progress and help him overcome the disorder and its ill symptoms.
It assists in binding ketamine to the NMDA 4receptor, the process known as synaptogenesis. As a result, the secretion of glutamate into the synaptic cleft is increased, and the AMPA receptor is activated. This whole process, again, impacts an individual’s mood, thoughts, and cognition.
Ketamine increases communication within the brain regions and minimizes signals responsible for the onset of inflammatory response in the body. This also prevents mood disorders.
When a patient with anxiety was interviewed and asked about the entire journey with the infusion of ketamine for anxiety, he responded positively and was extremely happy with the outcome. After a single infusion, he felt like a switch was flipped in the brain that gave him the strength to digest the tough things of life and move on to a brighter side of life.
After the infusion, he noticed an upsurge in his self-esteem, and the negative thoughts disappeared immediately. Many emotional issues faced by the individual were resolved, and a better phase of his life started.
Just like this, many other patients benefited due to ketamine infusion therapy. Ketamine has helped many to overcome stress-related symptoms, depression5, and anxiety disorders.
4. Side Effects
Despite all the extraordinary effects of ketamine therapy6, a person can experience a few side effects. To name a few:
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Dreamlike experience
- Muscle jerks and twitches
- Distorted or blurred vision
- Nausea
- Hypertension
- Sleeping troubles or Insomnia
- Loss of appetite
Ketamine is emerging as a powerful and very efficient drug for treating anxiety, depression, and several other mental conditions. All overwork, several ketamine clinics prescribe the usage and carry out the administration of ketamine for anxiety and many other mental health disorders. However, there is still a lot to know about the mechanism of ketamine for anxiety and other disorders.
The use of ketamine for anxiety disorders can be obtained from any one of the many mental health clinics available. To date, a very good response is obtained regarding the usage of ketamine for anxiety.
5. Conclusion
The successful use of ketamine for certain anxiety and mood disorders, particularly treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has shown promise in some clinical studies. Ketamine is thought to work through its effects on the brain’s glutamate system, which is involved in mood regulation. However, its use for anxiety is still an area of ongoing research.
Ketamine’s effects on anxiety and depression can be relatively rapid, with some individuals reporting improvement within hours to days after administration. This is in contrast to traditional antidepressants which often take weeks to show an effect.
Ketamine treatments are typically administered in controlled medical settings, as the drug can have psychoactive and dissociative effects. This helps ensure safety during administration and monitoring for potential adverse reactions.
The long-term effects and safety of repeated ketamine treatments are not fully understood. Research is ongoing to determine the potential risks, benefits, and optimal treatment schedules.
While ketamine shows promise as a potential treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, its use should be approached cautiously and under the guidance of a qualified medical professional. As research continues to expand our understanding of its benefits, risks, and long-term effects, individuals seeking treatment for anxiety should explore a range of options and make informed decisions in collaboration with their healthcare provider.
FAQs
1. What types of anxiety disorders might ketamine be used for?
Ketamine’s potential use for anxiety is often explored in cases of severe, treatment-resistant anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
2. Who is a suitable candidate for ketamine treatment for anxiety?
A. Suitable candidates are often individuals who have not responded well to traditional treatments for anxiety and have a documented history of treatment-resistant anxiety disorders. A thorough assessment by a qualified mental health professional is crucial.
3. Is ketamine a long-term solution for anxiety?
A. Research on the long-term effectiveness and safety of ketamine for anxiety is ongoing. Some individuals may experience sustained benefits, while others might require ongoing maintenance treatments or combination therapies.
Read more
- Moreno, Carmen, et al. “How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The lancet psychiatry 7.9 (2020): 813-824. ↩︎
- Dubovsky, Steven L., et al. “Psychotic depression: diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment.” Psychotherapy and psychosomatics 90.3 (2021): 160-177. ↩︎
- Chellappa, Sarah L., and Daniel Aeschbach. “Sleep and anxiety: From mechanisms to interventions.” Sleep medicine reviews 61 (2022): 101583. ↩︎
- Nakazawa, Kazu, and Kiran Sapkota. “The origin of NMDA receptor hypofunction in schizophrenia.” Pharmacology & therapeutics 205 (2020): 107426. ↩︎
- Thapar, Anita, et al. “Depression in young people.” The Lancet 400.10352 (2022): 617-631. ↩︎
- Rhee, Taeho Greg, et al. “Efficacy and safety of ketamine vs electroconvulsive therapy among patients with major depressive episode: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” JAMA psychiatry 79.12 (2022): 1162-1172. ↩︎
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