Before Googling “Ketamine Treatment for Anxiety Near Me”…

Before running to your computer and typing “ketamine treatment for anxiety near me” because you’ve heard that ketamine infusion for anxiety is a thing and it may help your sister or mother deal with their lifelong crippling anxiety, take a moment to learn about ketamine and anxiety.

Anyone that has a friend or family member with anxiety will tell you that it can be distressing to watch them try to endure simple daily routines. Anxiety disorder is the most common mental problem in the U.S., thought to affect 18% of the population. While there are numerous pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety, the most important treatment for patients is love, attention, and support from their friends, family and caregivers. The following are some of the best ways to help your loved ones navigate anxiety.

Anxiety vs Depression

Anxiety and depression often present together, but they can absolutely be experienced independently. They often share similar symptoms too. Depression is often characterized by sadness, a sense of hopelessness, insomnia and deep fatigue, a loss of interest in anything (even eating), and mysterious aches and pains that are difficult to source. Anxiety often features severe worrying (more than is warranted), and the presumption that the worst-case scenario will always come to pass leads to indecisiveness, restlessness, and generalized fear.

Empathy: Understand How They Feel

Identifying and diagnosing anxiety is the first step on the path to support, so it is important to understand what signals to look for. People with anxiety tend to have anxious thoughts, like persistent worry (about a wide range of issues, often non-specific); they often believe that the worst possible outcome will happen, and they tend to overgeneralize things (think of someone who is worried about the state of the world, but not specific to any particular issue). They also demonstrate anxious behaviours, which may present themselves as second-guessing their decisions, becoming frustrated or irritable in new or difficult situations, and they may act compulsively. As the person may not even be aware of their condition or the abnormality of their actions, your identification and empathy are a critical first step on the road to treatment.

Someone to Talk To: Support or Refer to a Professional

People battling with anxiety disorder often feel that this world is working against them, and they often feel that they have no one to call upon to talk through their feelings. While your support as a trusted ear is of course, helpful, you are not necessarily trained to provide the kind of support the afflicted person needs to get better. Speaking with a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist is one of the best therapies for anxiety. These professionals will better understand how to help your loved ones overcome anxiety disorder.

Ketamine Treatments for Anxiety

While conventional treatments can help, ketamine therapy is gaining prominence as an effective treatment for anxiety. It can be combined with other therapies for rapid benefits and is increasingly recommended for the most severe and intractable cases of anxiety.  Before considering something like IV ketamine for generalized anxiety disorder, you know a little bit about the drug itself

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic generally used to inhibit pain and create a sedative effect during medical procedures. The drug might not be new to anesthesia, but it is increasingly becoming seen as a ”game-changer” for treating anxiety, according to Dr John Krystal MD – the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Ketamine received FDA approval in March 2019 due to its effectiveness in treating anxiety and other mental disorders.

Benefits of Ketamine for Anxiety Patients

Safety

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ketamine for treating anxiety disorders on March 2019, aligning with the growing body of research demonstrating the compound’s safety.

Fast-Acting Effects

Unlike many existing treatments, which may take weeks or months to produce positive effects, ketamine works effectively within hours, as it acts directly on the brain’s synapses.

It Has More Reliable Antidepressant Effects

It is common for an anxiety disorder to trigger depression in patients, which is precisely why your loved ones may need therapy that can treat both conditions. Research shows that more than 70% of patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders who receive a combination of an oral antidepressant and intranasal ketamine showed significant improvements, compared to just 50% that took a placebo. Ketamine infusion is a feasible and safe therapy for suicidal patients. Studies have also shown that ketamine can reduce extreme depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts.

Relieves physical pain

While a powerful treatment for mental disorders, ketamine is also proving to be an effective treatment for pain and for sufferers of fibromyalgia, a complex disorder characterized by musculoskeletal pain throughout the body and often accompanied by fatigue, restlessness and weakness (it is thought to contain a strong link to anxiety disorders).

Does Ketamine Work for All Anxiety Disorders?

Ketamine has proven effective in the treatment of various anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD), and general anxiety disorder (GAD). It produces effects within hours compared to other antidepressants, which take days or weeks to demonstrate benefits.

How to Get the Most Benefit from Ketamine Therapy for Anxiety

The therapy is best administered by an anesthesiologist or a trained physician, who will likely give the infusion gradually and intravenously. Maintaining an atmosphere of calm is an important part of effective treatment; adequate space, proper equipment and a confident and well-trained medical team are all factors. The practitioner will have a one-on-one consultation with the patient, during which they will review your medical history and decide whether ketamine infusion is ideal for the patient’s condition; this consultation will be followed by the development of a treatment plan. Some providers allow a relative or primary physician to stay with the patient in the room for comfort, though it is important that your companion avoid conversing with you during the infusion unless you initiate the conversation. Lights in the room will be dimmed to allow a calming atmosphere. You may also listen to your favorite music.

How Long Is a Ketamine Infusion Session for Anxiety?

An infusion session typically lasts for 40 to 50 minutes. After the treatment, you will slowly recover from your experience for 2 hours before being allowed to go home.

Will I Lose Consciousness During a Ketamine Therapy Session?

No, a patient does not lose consciousness during their ketamine therapy session; their mind will be actively engaged throughout. A typical dose of ketamine for outpatient treatment is less than that used in operating rooms for surgical procedures. While the feeling you experience will likely be pleasurable and calming, there may be some slight differences in the overall experience for different patients, with some experiencing a dissociative (out-of-body) feeling, though is also typically found to be a pleasurable experience, as indicated by the patient.

Conclusion

Ketamine therapy has demonstrated efficacy in treating treatment-resistant anxiety. It may be the breakthrough that your loved ones have been waiting for, and you should feel confident that your recommendation will be beneficial to their health. 

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322816/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316490305_Ketamine%27s_dose-related_effects_on_anxiety_symptoms_in_patients_with_treatment_refractory_anxiety_disorders

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/how-to-help-someone-with-anxiety

https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/how-to-help-someone-with-anxiety

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