IV Ketamine | MJA Healthcare

IV Ketamine

A laminectomy is a surgical procedure that removes a portion of the vertebral bone called the lamina. Epidurolysis allows medications to reach affected nerves in the spine so that pain and other symptoms may be diminished.

Following back surgery, scarring is most commonly caused from bleeding into the epidural space as a result of back surgery and the subsequent healing process. It is a natural occurrence following surgical intervention and scarring can also occur when a disc ruptures and the fluid leaks out.

Epidurolysis dissolves scar tissue that forms around entrapped nerves in the epidural space of the spine. The procedure allows pain relief medications such as cortisone to reach the affected areas.

Including conventional thermal and pulsed for peripheral and spinal nerves

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses radiofrequency energy to heat and destroy nerves to reduce pain. When a nerve is heated in this manner, it can no longer send pain signals. RFA can reduce pain such as chronic low-back and neck pain and pain related to the degeneration of joints from arthritis. The degree of pain relief varies, depending on the cause and location of the pain. Pain relief from RFA can last from six to 12 months and in some cases, relief can last for years.

TENS is a non-invasive, low-risk nerve stimulation intended to reduce both acute and chronic pain. TENS devices produce electrical current to therapeutically stimulate the nerves. The unit is usually connected to the skin using two or more electrodes and a typical battery-operated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity. Portable TENS devices are available for home use.

TENS units have successfully treated various types of conditions, such as low back pain (LBP), myofascial and arthritic pain, sympathetically mediated pain, neurogenic pain, visceral pain and post-surgical pain.

Neuropathic pain is generated by nervous tissue and it is an adaptive response to nerve injury caused by either the peripheral or central nervous system. Spinal cord stimulation has been used successfully to treat neuropathic pain originating from the peripheral nervous system.

Spinal cord stimulation always involves a short trial conducted with a temporary stimulator to determine whether or not spinal cord stimulation will provide adequate pain relief. The spinal cord stimulator for the trial period is implanted for approximately a week during which:

Leads are placed under the skin and attached to a small device that the patient carries (similar to a cell phone). Using pre-set programs, electrical currents are emitted in a pattern to target the areas of pain, with the goal of giving the best pain relief possible. Preset programs are used to emit electrical currents in a pattern designed to target the areas of pain.

If the patient receives significant relief from pain during the trial, a complete system with a generator device can then be implanted.

A microdiscectomy is typically performed for a herniated lumbar disc and is particularly effective for treating leg pain (radiculopathy).

Compression or impingement on the nerve root can cause substantial leg pain. Microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive procedure in which a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed to relieve neural impingement and provide more room for the nerve to heal.

Although it may take weeks or months for the nerve root to fully heal and any numbness or weakness to improve, patients typically feel leg pain relief almost immediately after a microdiscectomy procedure.

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

(Call 570-872-9800 – Dr. Artamonov’s Office For More Information)

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IV Ketamine

Ketamine infusion therapy is most commonly used in those with treatment-resistant depression, a form of major depressive disorder. Ketamine infusions may also help with acute suicidality or chronic suicidal ideation.

Ketamine-Infusion-Therapy

Overview

Ketamine, originally developed as anesthesia, was first discovered to work similarly to antidepressants as early as 1975. Early reports from street ketamine users showed promise in its antidepressant effects, but they were dismissed because it was an illegal substance.

In 2019, Spravato (esketamine) was approved by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression (depression that hasn’t responded to at least two medicines).

However, this is more common than you would think — more than 50% of people don’t respond to the first antidepressant they try.

FAQ

Ketamine is an anesthetic medication that blocks the NMDA receptor that has also been used as a recreational drug due to its dissociative properties. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines because of its safety and efficacy for anesthesia. More recently, ketamine has been discovered as a safe and effective treatment for depression, and randomized controlled trials have shown rapid improvement in mood as well as reduction in suicidality compared to people who receive a placebo or another drug.

If you have tried several antidepressants before, then you know that it takes anywhere from four to six weeks to start seeing the full effect of the medicine — if you see any effects at all. Someone who is suicidal does not have the luxury of waiting several weeks for a medicine to kick in.

Symptoms that may improve include a depressed mood, suicidality, helplessness, and worthlessness.

Ketamine infusion therapy has been hailed as a transformative treatment because of its high rate of response.

In one study, 85% of patients experienced a remission in their depressive symptoms10 (defined as at least a 50% reduction in symptoms). Reference: https://link.springer.com

Another study showed that 88% of the participants given a ketamine infusion in the emergency room had their suicidal ideation go away8 in just 90 minutes. Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com

However, ketamine infusions aren’t necessarily a cure. Patients relapsed (some symptoms returned) on an average of 19 days after, but some did not relapse for more than three months.

For depression, the doses of ketamine used are much lower than the dose for anesthesia, making it relatively safe. That said, ketamine does carry the risk of changing your blood pressure and heart rate, which we will monitor closely. Longer term risks include urinary symptoms, cognitive impairment (with prolonged use), and substance use disorders. We will monitor for these symptoms throughout the treatment.

 

The Process to receive IV Ketamine

  1. Call us or submit our online form.
  2. Free phone consultations with one of our intake specialists to schedule evaluation.
  3. 90-minute evaluation with one of our psychiatrists with expertise in treatment-resistant depression to determine if ketamine (or another treatment) is the best treatment for you.
  4. Evaluation of basic lab results to ensure ketamine is safe for you.
  5. The initial administration of the ketamine treatment.
  6. Twice weekly ketamine administration for 2 weeks with follow-up treatments as recommended by psychiatrist. A typical case would be 8-12 treatments over 4-6 weeks.
  7. Follow-up care as recommended by our clinical experts.

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