About Ketamine Treatments

Ketamine was first synthesized in 1964 as an IV anesthetic in Belgium and attained US FDA approval in 1970.  Used by anesthesia professionals for years as an alternative or adjunct to traditional anesthetic agents, the medication is hailed for its leniency regarding respiratory depression over many other agents.  

In 1992 Ketamine was first studied to treat chronic pain with some noted benefit for many patients with fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic pain syndrome, and burns.  In the early 2000’s, Ketamine was first described to help with the pain caused by mood disorders such as Depression and PTSD.  

In 2019, Esketamine, or Spravato, was approved by the FDA for treatment of short term depression, however, this nasal spray is limited in effectiveness due to the ever changing environment of the nasal passages and dependence on absorption through the mucous membranes of the nose; Therefore, esketamine requires a prolonged office stay for observation after administration.  

Although considered “off label” by the FDA, precise controlled dosing of very small amounts of intravenous Ketamine has been shown to help improve symptoms of suicidality, severe depression, and PTSD in as many as 75% of patients.  Unlike most antidepressants that merely alter the serotonin and noradrenaline systems which takes time and merely blunts the lows, but also the highs of moods, Ketamine blocks NMDA receptors to increase glutamate, and thereby can actually help you heal and regain more of the “weathered” receptors or synapses in the brain that have stopped working after the prolonged effects of depression.