Ketamine For Depression? (Page 9) (Top voted first)

It was recommended by the members of a separate thread that one be started that directly relates to ketamine and it's use to treat depression.

If anyone besides myself would like to discuss it's use as a treatment for depression, feel free to post your questions, answers and experiences here.

This thread is an offshoot of a related one that discussed a treatment of Scopolamine for depression.

REPLY

REPORT

Hey Robert. I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling. I've done a great deal of research on ketamine. I have found the the price for transfusions varies quite a bit in the US (no doctors in Canada will do this). How many transfusions came with the $3,000? My research tells me that there isn't a significant risk, despite what your previous doctor told you. There are always risks to any medical treatment, but do a lot of online research and make up your own mind.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

hello my name is johnny dimitropoulos ive been on disability for 15 years ive tried all the medacations none have worked ive tried 15 electric shocks i have lost memorizes i cant even remember that has erased parts of my mind i cant even remember.all my freinds have family wifes kids home cars and ive lost trust with all my friends.they give me 700.00 dollars that cant even pay the bills for an a apartment for my self let alone familyi love anamls like cows chickes shep that would make me happy im not looking for fame or fortunei i just want a farm i can live my life with my family i dont want to leave my farm id love to be there rest of my life i dont like being around other people so when i have to go grocery shopping i have i have to use my moms car because i cant even afford a car or gas and repars we have three people and only have one car we use my mothers car and i go at night so i dont have to be around other people my dad is 77 works at myeirs my sister got in a bad accident she has been in a wheel chair for 3 years.we cant even afford to pay her bills there is so much stress here i dont know how much more i can take it we cant even pay for or house bills or her medications my mom is 76 and cant work anymore but take care of my sister who has been in a wheel chair for 3 years she stays in her room for hours at a time somtimes never coming out but to go to the bathroom and my mom cooks and brings here food she stays in her room for weeks at a time not coming out i know my mom would lose it if i was gone but i dont know how much more i can take t much mort know my mom would go crazy if anything happend to me when my mom life goeswont be able to live anymore when she goes i will also find a way to go with her we dont even have the money to pay for the bills all id love would love to have is a family and kids so i can live like everyone else with 700.00 dollars i cant even get a apartment let alone pay for a car bills and all the rest of the bills of a house i never asked anyone for anyhing i just want to live on a farm with a family with and kids if anyone can help please do this is the first time i have ever asked for anything

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

It's only effective if it bypasses the liver, so it must enter the bloodstream without going through digestion. No swallowing.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi everyone! I just wanted to be added to this forum because I will be trying Ketamine infusions at a clinic in my area. I will be taking it for PTSD. I have been suffering for three years and conventional treatments- meds and therapy have not worked for me. I start the infusions in April. I will post the results of the infusion therapy and just wanted to be part of a forum as I feel like the only person going through this. Wishing everyone a good experience and look forward to meeting all of you. Thank you for reading. I will be following this thread. :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

ACC Apothecary will make troches for you with a prescription. In the US, Massachusetts.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

There are pharmacist that compound all types of medicine. Of course with Ketamine you will need a rx from your doctor.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

There are many people that have a prescription from their doctor for compound ketamine. Cream for pain, syrup, troche/lozenges and nasal spray. Dr Giorgadze in Smyrna GA prescribes nasal spray, Dr Hanna in Florida prescribes troches, the type of compound varies from illness-depression or pain and what the doctor feels is best. I take troches in between infusions to help prolong the time needed for the next infusion/booster. Talk to your doctor. If you don't have a Doctor you can find one on ketamine advocacy network or google.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Joseph, I think you mean *without* a prescription? Otherwise, I'm afraid you're just incorrect. It's done most commonly for pain management, often as a cream for topical use, but also as a troche (lozenge) for fibromyalgia. I've been a patient at Massachusetts General Hospital's Depression Clinical and Research Program since 2014 (I was initially a subject in a clinical trial) and have filled ketamine prescriptions with two New England compounding pharmacies for intranasal and intramuscular use.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Thank you Sarah, for pointing out my typo. I'm quite surprised that Americans can access ketamine so easily, and if this is the case, why aren't more depressed Americans using it? In Canada, access to ketamine is very strictly controlled. It's only available via the black market.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hello, how are you? Any updates that you know of about this? I'm in the Chicago area....I've had very little relief with antidepressants, and I'm looking for something to curb this major depression. Thank you!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

When receiving Ketamine treatment from a doctor the Ketamine is pure and small doses are used for mental health. I don't know anyone that has become addicted under a doctor's care.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hello I'm trying to find out if I was on high doses of opiates for 15+yrs an now my doctor retired an I'm on a very low dose an my stomach is tore up so i was wondering if Tincture of opium would be an option for me thanks

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

There is a doctor who is doing ketamine infusion for depression, anxiety etc in Cedar Rapids now

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: JPin Toronto (# 872)

I found a Doctor in Toronto that administers Ketamine infusion and my GP put in a referral. My only hope is that they do what is adequate, 3-4 days straight of 2-3 hour infusions and then monthly boosters. I have heard some clinics will only do 1 single infusion once per month which from what I understand, does nothing. Thanks for getting back to me though. My fingers are crossed with this Doctor! I am looking into it for chronic pain and subsequent depression and anxiety.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: JPinToronto (# 864)

All the research I've done suggests that oral ketamine is not nearly as effective as transfusion. Jansen is working on a nasal esketamine spray and there is a possibility it could be available this year. Trials have been promising and they were granted breakthrough status a year or two ago. I tried to get into a trial but was deemed ineligible due to concomitant conditions.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Joseph (# 877)

Hey Joseph, I didn’t say they were not accepting patients, that was a different poster. Yes it is at a pain clinic in Toronto as I have severe nerve pain and subsequent depression. Look up Alevvio.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: CityguyUSA (# 895)

To all, be careful with Ketamine. There are serious issues regarding chronic Ketamine use and possible bladder damage. Just remember this is still experimental and off-label at this point. Please research thoroughly, discuss with your physician and be careful.

"Summary: Research has revealed how recreational ketamine abuse damages the bladder. In two studies, medical researchers show how ketamine present in urine causes damage to the epithelial lining of the bladder, allowing urine to penetrate into underlying tissues which causes inflammation and extreme pain. In some cases this pain can be so extreme that patients need to have their bladder removed (cystectomy)."

Source: "New effects of ketamine abuse uncovered: Extreme pain, bladder damage." Sciencedaily.com March 18th, 2016.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Guy in Toronto (# 896)

It's all relative -- chronic, unrelenting depression or depression relieved in exchange for something else. I've been dealing with this for more than 40 years. I'm a little desperate, Guy.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have scheduled a visit with my Dr. in June. I'd like to know how your experience was. I consulted with her over the phone and she told me to expect to see her Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. All of this is out-of-pocket so I'm more than hesitant. I was quoted $400/hr for the initial visit, $250/hr for following visits, and $110 for the inhaler.

Michael, can you provide us with an update on how your treatment is going? How many days did you visit her? Did you receive the nasal inhaler immediately upon your initial visit? How often are you using your nasal inhaler? How long does each dose last? How does it compare to your infusion experience?

Thanks.

dave

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

hi all-

just back from san diego and a 3 hour + session with dr. sajben last night...

first the good;

she is extremely kind, thorough and very professional. very detailed oriented which i appreciated. she even took my primary care doc to task on some other health issues that were evident in my latest blood work and faxed-off a request for several things to be checked by my doc. my primary doc has a rep for not following-up w/her patients. anyway, it was kind of doc sajben to 'educate' me on some health issues i have outside of my depression.

i have been to so many doctors these past 2 years in this battle. this is my first ever severe depressive episode. i feel qualified to grade pdocs now. most have been good, some have been bad, and a few have been excellent. i put dr. sajben in the excellent category, even though she is not a pdoc.

she claims to be having some very good success using ketamine for depression. i believe her. she is unique compared to the other doctors i have seen because she really approaches depression from the physical/biological side. this impressed me.

now, for the not so good;

price! she is very expensive. i feel she is worth it, regardless if the nasal ketamine works. (oh yeah, i decided to go w/the nasal ketamine in the end. more on that later.)

next, not so good, is that, as i was spending 3+ hours with her i realized that this is all experimental. she even admits it. she is having success. but, i realized that it is just like many of the pdocs i have seen and the drugs they presribe. it will work for some, not for others. she also has no real set protocol for dosing. she told me it is very individual when it comes to dosing and that she will work with each individual to find the 'right' dose.

the application is fairly easy. the mixture comes out in a fine mist. she tells you to do your best to not swallow it and let your sinuses absorb the mixture. it does have a nasty taste when a bit of it drops into the back of your throat.

ok, here is what matters; does it work? i don't know and it is way too soon for me to know. i do know i felt a calmness after my initial 2 sprays. driving back-up to LA along the coast as the sun was setting felt calm and good. on the way down i was crying quite a bit to some songs on my ipod that were triggering past memories. this is a big part of my depression. this did not happen on the way home except one little tear-up. who knows if it was the ketamine, the gorgeous california coast/sunset, or me just being out of my bed/house and having had a 3 hour plus conversation all about me, but again, i did feel calm and dare i say it; less depressed. this was also the farthest i had travelled since my depression hit.

i took a few sprays last night when i got home and several more today. i can say i have had no bad side effects. is it working? again, too early to tell. though i do feel quite calm. that may be the klonopin though. ;)

i mentioned flip-flopping on the delivery method. i was going to do sublingual delivery and then decided on doing intra-nasal. i changed because i read on the drug forms that most of the ketamine is lost when delivered under the tongue. (again, this info was from a few recreational drug forms...not the best source i know!) i asked dr. sajben about this and she said either way could work. still, i decided to go with the nasal route for now.

which brings me to my final point. as i mentioned before i suffer from chronic nasal polyps. i have lost my sense of smell due to the polyps. it's a real bummer and one of the several reasons i am depressed. i did a search on polyps and nasal ketamine and found a study on someone who was prescribed nasal ketamine and eventually lost their sense of smell! argh! this patient was on nasal ketamine for pain. this concerns me. i'm scheduled for my 3rd sinus surgery to remove the polyps. i do get a bit of smell back for a few months after surgery and am hopeful that i might get my smell back someday. there is a high correlation with loss of smell and depression. never knew that until i became depressed. just like depression is hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it, it is very hard to express what the loss of smell has done to the quality of my life. when i get just a few whiffs of smell after my surgeries it is absolutely amazing emotionally. sorry to ramble on this, but i would hate for someone to lose their sense of smell. it can be devastating. i will look in to this further and post more.

ok, long post sorry. right now my gut feeling is i am going to go with the infusions sooner rather than later. mostly because it seems there is more experience/success with this use of the drug at the present time. since i paid so much though i will try the nasal spray for a bit. how long? not sure.

again, sorry for such a long post.

keep-up the fight everyone!

john

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I will go to the states to take ketamine treatment for depression. Ketamine is probably a great pill for depression, as ...

34 REPLIES

## What is Cispin? ## Cispin is a common misspelling for the antidepressant called Zispin SolTab. Active Ingredient: Mir...

3 REPLIES

My friend was prescribed Haldol for depression. My friend suffers from being addicted to Perocets, and because he was go...

1 REPLY

My Son went to the Dr. for anxiety and depression, pristiq created more problems for him, panic attacks, insomnia, loss ...

13 REPLIES

Has anyone started taking Rexulti, if so how is it going so far. I just started 1 mg today and will phase out abilify? #...

8 REPLIES

After being on every imaginable antidepressant over the past twenty-five years and undergoing ect, I have found that Rit...

4 REPLIES

This thread is to discuss Ibogaine as a means to treat Depression and Pain Management, including, but not limited to, an...

34 REPLIES

DOES ANYONE KNOW A MD WHO PRESCRIBES SUBOXONE FOR DEPRESSION IT HELPS ME TREMENDOUSLY ## HAVE YOU FOUND A DOC TAT WILL W...

2 REPLIES

is colozapam for anxiety and depression ? ## The pill in description is Clonazepam; which is a benzodiazepine derivative...

2 REPLIES

anyone with experience using riluzole for treatment resistant depression ## Hello, Pance! How are you? I've not take...

1 REPLY