Our St. Louis ketamine clinic is ready to listen to your history of depression, your treatment and medical history, and can determine if ketamine treatment for depression is a viable treatment option for you.
In addition to major depressive disorder, ketamine is also an ideal treatment for postpartum depression, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorder among other mood disorders. Ketamine infusion is not for every case: contact us to schedule a screening where we will determine whether ketamine treatment is a viable option for your mood disorder.
How Ketamine Works To Treat Depression
Ketamine has long been approved by the FDA as an anesthetic, but recently doctors and psychiatrists have begun to use it "off-label" to help individuals with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Research from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found that ketamine blocks NMDA glutamate receptors in the brain, which can reduce symptoms of depression or even send it into remission. In addition, other studies have shown that ketamine can also trigger dopamine release and potentially promote new synaptic connections within the brain--essentially re-wiring your brain to improve your mood and function. Ketamine infusion also reduces suicidal ideation, as a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic showed that ketamine infusion treatments greatly reduced thoughts of self-harm in patients. It is also a useful treatment for generalized anxiety and postpartum depression.
Our St. Louis ketamine clinic administers ketamine for depression via an IV drip. We recommend receiving ketamine infusions twice a week for three weeks. As we also want to fully track your total health journey, we will also enroll you in a mood monitoring program with easy tracking and management via your mobile phone.