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Depression is a serious problem, and sometimes the usual treatments don't work for everyone. But there's a medicine called ketamine that might be able to help. Let's talk about what ketamine is and how it could be good for treating depression.
What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a medicine that doctors use for surgeries. But they've also discovered it can help people with depression, especially if other treatments haven't worked.
Advantage 1: Quick Relief
One cool thing about ketamine is that it can make people with depression feel better really fast. Some other medicines can take 4-6 weeks (or longer!) to start working, but ketamine can sometimes help in just a few hours or days. That's important for people who are really struggling and need help quickly.
Advantage 2: Helps When Other Treatments Don't
Sometimes, people try lots of different treatments for depression, like talking to a therapist or taking pills, but nothing seems to help. Ketamine might be able to help these people when nothing else does. Recent studies show that it can work for those who haven't gotten better with other treatments.
Evidence-Based Practice
In the last two years, scientists have done some research to see if ketamine really works for depression.
Here's what they found:
1. A study in 2022 said that ketamine made 70% of the people who tried it feel better when other treatments didn't help.
2. Another study from 2024 said that ketamine not only made people less sad but also stopped them from thinking about hurting themselves.
3. A review in 2023 said that ketamine is a promising option for depression, especially when other treatments don't work.
So, ketamine could be a good choice for people with depression, especially if nothing else has helped. It can make them feel better quickly, and recent studies show it works. Ketamine is like a new tool in our toolbox for fighting depression, and it gives hope to people who really need it.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk! 775-403-6718
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References
Daly, E. J., Singh, J. B., Fedgchin, M., Cooper, K., Lim, P., Shelton, R. C., ... Manji, H. (2018). Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine Adjunctive to Oral Antidepressant Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(2), 139-148.
Krystal, J. H., Kavalali, E. T., & Monteggia, L. M. (2024). Ketamine and Rapid Antidepressant Action: New Treatments and Novel Synaptic Signaling Mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacology, 49(1), 41–50.
Lullau, A. P. M., Haga, E. M. W., Ronold, E. H., & Dwyer, G. E. (2023). Antidepressant Mechanisms of Ketamine: A Review of Actions with Relevance to Treatment-Resistance and Neuroprogression. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1223145. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1223145
Wilkinson, S. T., Ballard, E. D., Bloch, M. H., Mathew, S. J., Murrough, J. W., Feder, A., ... Sanacora, G. (2018). The Effect of a Single Dose of Intravenous Ketamine on Suicidal Ideation: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(2), 150-158.
Keywords: Balanced Mental Wellness, kattlyn hymas, pmhnp, Mental health solutions,
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