Ketamine

[Maple79]

Has anyone started ketamine infusions? Just wondering if anyone has any experiences to share. I have had 3 so far and do not see any difference in my depression or SI.

[Pizzacat1]

I am interested too. I asked my therapist about it and she didn’t answer my question. I know my psychiatrist would approve. He said it was ok to try psilocybin but I can’t find any trials near me. I think it’s still in the trial phase.

[Rufus07 in reply to Pizzacat1]

I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard that psilocybin can have great results.

[Maple79 in reply to Rufus07]

How do you get it though?

[Pizzacat1 in reply to Maple79]

Johns Hopkins in Baltimore Maryland had medical trials either earlier this year or sometime last year.

[Maple79 in reply to Pizzacat1]

Yes a lot of people talk about psilocybin but as far as I know the only way to get it is illegally but would love to know options

[designguy]

I did a series of 4 infusions and then stopped because I didn't think it was helping me and it was pretty exhausting and I would be totally wiped out for the rest of the day, plus I had to have someone drive me and pick me up so it was a pain. My issue was more social anxiety with some depression but I found it just increased my anxiety and was more like a bad acid trip from years ago. It did provide me with an awareness of how all things and beings are connected but it didn't need ketamine in order to do that. Frankly i'm not sure what the big deal about it is and also the psyliciobin movement.

I personally found that TMS treatment was much more beneficial for me and a lot less taxing physically. I did a full treatment of it and was approved for a second round but decided I didn't need it.

We are all different and react differently to treatment and meds so hopefully yours will have a positive benefit.

[Maple79 in reply to designguy]

That was helpful to hear because it feels like I am the only one who doesn’t think it is helping. I have done 4 treatments so far also and I agree the rest of the day is trash I feel hung over and awful and do not see an improvement in my depression and SI at all. It is also extremely expensive but I’m told to do at least 6 before I stop…maybe TMS is something I should look into. What was that like for you if you want to share ?

[designguy]

After the initial trepidation, I got to where I enjoyed the treatments. I did a full treatment round which was 36 treatments over 6 weeks and each treatment lasted about a half hour and I could drive afterward. The only discomfort I had was some chattering of my teeth but I would chew a big wad of bubble gum before the session and use it as a kind of insulator between my teeth. It was also paid for by my insurance which was a bonus because the ketamine treatments were not and were about $450 each.

I would also suggest you make sure your hormones, thyroid and adrenals are all functioning properly because they can cause or contribute to anxiety/depression if not. Turned out that I was low in testosterone and did testosterone replacement therapy which also helped.

[Maple79 in reply to designguy]

I just wanted to say thanks for responding. Hearing you talk about TMS makes me feel like maybe Ketamine isn’t my last hope. I have woken up since July not wanting to live went through a suicide attempt and hospitalization and have not started to feel better yet unfortunately. I have two more ketamine treatments and then I will look into TMS. Also asking my doc about metabolic tests as they have done none. I suppose being pre menopause could be a factor as well if that is what’s going on… anyway thank u!

[designguy in reply to Maple79]

You're welcome, i'm glad to offer my experience. Sorry to hear about your suicide attempt but glad it wasn't successful. Are you currently working with a therapist to help understand why you attempted it and how to deal with all of the emotions/trauma of it and why you don't want to live? I know for me, the TMS and getting my hormones/thyroid in balance helped but it also took my working with a trauma/c-ptsd therapist to help me get to my core issues, acknowledge and process them in order to heal.

Yes, I think pre menopause could be a factor and contributor, so it would be good to get it checked out and optimized to aid in your healing.

There is another type of treatment to consider for MDD which is ECT, I understand it has become much more refined and less invasive than it use to be. I also did a psychopharmacological test which helped determine which psych meds were best suited for me genetically, it showed that the half dozen I had tried were not right for me so I started on one it recommended and it has worked and helped. Don't know if you are on meds but it's another thing to consider. My test was from Genesight and paid for by my insurance.

Feel free to ask me anything, glad to help.

[ziggypiggy]

Tried a few. No help.