Ketamine for depression

[rebtar]

I'm considering ketamine assisted psychotherapy for treatment resistant depression. I'm wondering if anyone here has tried this and what your experience has been. I've talked to a couple of folks (not PD folks) who were very much helped.

[Trixiedee]

I am also interested in trying it. Where is it available as a treatment?

[rebtar in reply to Trixiedee]

You can try googling the Ketamine Advocacy Network. They have a provider network. Im in the SF Bay Area.

[wifeofparky]

I would discuss this with your Movement Disorder Specialist or Neuro first. There are many drugs that should NEVER be taken by PD people. You do not want to induce a psychosis.

[rebtar in reply to wifeofparky]

Absolutely

[wifeofparky in reply to rebtar]

I saw what anesthesia did to my husband. I would be very hesitant to try this

[Trixiedee in reply to wifeofparky]

Ketamine is the safest anaesthetic and it’s higher unlikely it was used on your husband. Dose is much lower for treatment of depression.

[wifeofparky in reply to Trixiedee]

I did not say it was used for my husband. I only stated to be careful with any drug as PD people react differently. Despite the anesthesiologist being aware of his PD, whatever agent was used, (I was unable to find out) he became psychotic and very aggressive and agitated. I never want anyone to go through the grief and fear we went through during his hospital stay.

[Trixiedee in reply to wifeofparky]

As I said the dose used is MUCH lower. And I’m sure they would take a medical history.

[Nitro53]

This I believe this is a street drug(special K). I don't think your going to find a doctor to easy to work with this. Its a hallucinogen that would be short acting and difficult to dose properly. I've read some reports that they're working to refine it some how.

[Trixiedee in reply to Nitro53]

It’s not a street drug it’s an anaesthetic. They are using it to treat depression in a hospital in Oxford.

[Nitro53 in reply to Trixiedee]

Yes it’s a a aesthetic but they use it on the street, hence special k. Propofol is the anesthesia that killed Michael Jackson but it’s also used on the streets. Be careful or you might not come home from your trip.

[rebtar in reply to Nitro53]

When it’s used as an antidepressant it’s administered in a doctors office under supervision. It is NOT dangerous in this context. According to the World Health Organization, ketamine is an “essential” drug, perhaps one of the most widely used anaesthetics worldwide, and “is safer to administer than other types of anaesthetic agents and pain relief as it does not depress breathing or lower blood pressure and does not require expensive patient-monitoring equipment.”

[Astra7 in reply to Nitro53]

You are right that it is used as a recreational drug. It causes massive problems but I guess like most things it's a matter of dosage and responsible use etc.

[lenamm in reply to Nitro53]

It's been used by our veterinary medical community for years and there is def research to show it has uses in humans for depression at a lower dose than the street use.

[rebtar]

Ketamine was developed as an anesthetic but has also been used as a hallucinogenic street drug. It's on the WHO essential medicines list, and has an excellent safety profile as an anesthetic.

Over the past few years there have been multiple clinical trials of ketamine for depression with very few adverse effects and excellent results. Around 70% of people with treatment resistant depression have had a positive response, sometimes short lived, sometimes enduring. With repeated treatment the effects often last. It's generally used in conjunction with anti-depressants, not in lieu of.

Anyone interested can read more at this link:

ketamineadvocacynetwork.org/

In the SF Bay area, there are quite a few providers who offer ketamine therapy. From what I can tell, all involve an MD. Some are psychiatrists, some are other specialties.

There appear to be two types of providers: those who use a medical model, and those who use a psychotherapy model. The medical model involves a number of low dose IV infusions over a couple of weeks. The idea is that ketamine affects the brain in a way that helps lift depressive symptoms. Generally people have follow up "booster" infusions at individualized intervals afterward. In the psycho-therapeutic model, ketamine is used as an adjunct to psychotherapy with the idea of achieving more lasting changes. A range of doses are used depending on the individual case, from very low and mildly sedating, to higher doses with a greater degree of dissociation.

Kaiser has had a Ketamine program for several years now, UCSF apparently is working on opening a clinic (the Dr. I've been in touch with is working on this). This is going mainstream, but clearly still experimental.

I haven't made a personal decision yet on trying this, but I'm leaning toward it as depression seriously affects my quality of like, more than any other symptom. I would certainly do it in consultation with my Neuro.

[Hikoi]

I noticed some positive reseach on it which is good as its other reputation is as one of the date rape drugs.

I havent heard of it used in PD depression. Have you tried other antidepressants rebtar.?

Very interesting info, thanks

[rebtar in reply to Hikoi]

I've been using anti-depressants for more than 20 years, and my response has never been optimal. The doctor I'm talking with about possibly trying ketamine, is in the process of trying to set up a ketamine clinic for depression at UCSF (early stages), and has been researching/using ketamine for 5 years. He did some research and said that he found 4 or 5 (I don't remember which) PD patients who participated in ketamine trials for depression, with good results. Ketamine mostly acts on the glutamate pathways, but apparently is also a very mild dopamine agonist.

[Farooqji]

revitalistclinic.com/parkin...

[rebtar in reply to Farooqji]

I did ketamine treatment over the summer and found it very effective for depression.

[Hidden]

Can you tell me more about it please?

[rebtar in reply to Hidden]

I'd be glad to. What would you like to know?

[Hidden]

Can I message you please

[rebtar]

Sure.