ABOUT KETAMINE
Ketamine has a long history of use by Anesthesiologists in the operating room to allow patients to safely undergo surgery. As an anesthetic drug, Ketamine has a proven track record of safety with few side effects, making it a useful medication in both the developed and developing world. Ketamine is on the WHO list of essential medications, because of its usefulness and wide margin of safety.
Ketamine is known as a "dissociative" anesthetic. This means that patients receiving Ketamine at anesthetic doses will have a feeling of disconnection from reality.
In the last decade, research has discovered that Ketamine given in sub-anesthetic doses via intravenous infusion has provided rapid, and significant relief from depression symptoms in patients for whom traditional therapies have been ineffective. Patients have reported improvement in mood within hours to days of their first infusion. Ketamine is not only a powerful anti-depressant, studies have shown that it is very effective at halting suicidal thoughts in patients who are are at high risk of self-harm. Ketamine treatments can literally be 'Life Saving" for some patients.
Tradionally anti-depressant medications have focused on the theory of a chemical imbalance in the brain as the cause of depression and other significant illnesses such as PTSD. Ketamine's mechanism of action is centered on its effect on the NMDA receptors in the brain, and has been described as a "re-wiring" of broken connections that causes improvement in mood and functioning.
Ketamine has been shown to be most effective when given by intravenous route (IV) as a slow, controlled infusion.
The dose is controlled and is 100 % absorbed by the body. For this reason,
NovaKet offers IV Ketamine infusions, to ensure you receive the correct dose with the correct timing to reach the brain for maximal effect and minimal side effects.
Ketamine is a safe medication when administered by health professionals in a controlled manner. Ketamine has the potential for short-term side effects that generally become pronounced at higher doses. These include: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure,, dizziness, nausea, visual changes, and mild hallucinations. Even if they occur, all of these effects dissipate over a short time following the infusion. Our clinic staff is on hand to assess and reassure you should you experience any of these effects.