Ketamine Infusion Therapy Specialist

 

Ketamine Infusion Therapy Q & A

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is an anesthetic drug that has been used for the last several decades during surgery for both humans and in veterinary medicine. In the same category as nitrous oxide (laughing gas), ketamine is considered a safe anesthetic because it doesn’t reduce blood pressure or decrease your breathing rate. Ketamine is typically given intravenously or injected into a specific muscle.

In lower doses, ketamine is also effective at relieving pain, since it blocks the receptors in your brain that cause painful sensations.

How is ketamine used in medicine?

In medical practice, ketamine is traditionally used for many procedures, including:

• Minor surgeries
• Skin grafts
• Cardiac catheterization
• Diagnostic procedures of the ear, nose, and throat
• Orthopedics

In a hospital setting, ketamine is used to help control patients with seizures or epilepsy when other options prove ineffective. Additionally, ketamine is an analgesic that relieves pain. In 2014, researchers also found that ketamine significantly reduces the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In Dr. Roofian’s experience with patients, after a series of low-dose ketamine infusions, many men and women get incredible relief from or total elimination of chronic pain. Dr. Roofian often recommends ketamine infusion therapy for pain when all other treatment methods have failed to provide results.

What conditions does ketamine infusion therapy treat?

Intravenous (IV) ketamine infusion therapy has been proven effective for several chronic, debilitating health conditions, including:

• Fibromyalgia
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Lyme disease
• Lichen sclerosus
• Neuropathy
• PTSD
• Migraines
• Anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions

What can I expect with ketamine infusion therapy?

Each year in the United States, more than 16 million adults experience at least one episode of major depression, but are unable to get long-term relief from their condition with antidepressant medications. Dr. Shawn Roofian, director of the Ketamine Medical Institute, with three locations in the Los Angeles area, is an expert at treating depression through ketamine therapy to help men and women get relief when other medications fail. Call one of the offices in Beverly Hills, Tarzana, or Chula Vista, or schedule a consultation online.

Depending on your specific health condition, Dr. Roofian creates an individualized treatment plan to relieve or control your symptoms. The medical team at Ketamine Medical Institute prepares each specific dose of medication with a saline solution so you can receive it intravenously. Usually, the ketamine is infused into your body very slowly over the course of a couple of hours.

Immediately following your treatment, you’ll be tired and will need someone to drive you home. After several infusion therapy treatments over the course of a week or more, you should begin to feel lasting relief from pain-related symptoms that continue weeks or months after your last infusion. Dr. Roofian and his experienced medical team monitor your progress and adjust your medications every step of the way to ensure you get maximum pain relief.

Unlike many FDA-approved analgesics, including opioids, ketamine is not highly addictive, making it a safer alternative for long-term pain management.

If you’ve tried without success to get relief from a chronic condition, call the Ketamine Medical Institute that’s closest to you, or schedule a consultation online.