Intravenous Ketamine Therapy Can Be Used for Chronic Pain Treatment

Chicago, Illinois -

IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago wants to point out that intravenous (IV) ketamine therapy may be used for the treatment of chronic pain, which is pain that lasts for over three months. It is not yet fully understood how ketamine works but it is likely that it has an impact on the receptors in the brain that are involved in feelings of pain. When ketamine binds to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain, it helps to boost the amount of the neurotransmitter known as glutamate. In turn, glutamate stimulates connections in another brain receptor, which causes the release of molecules that help the neurons in finding new pathways for communicating with each other in the brain. This is known as synaptogenesis and is believed to impact mood and thought patterns.

Bal Nandra, M.D. from IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago says, “Ketamine is an FDA approved medication that was synthesized in 1962 and was approved for use as an anesthetic medication in 1970. It is a blocker of the cellular NMDA receptor, a neural receptor for glutamate that has proved to play a significant role in major depression, chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia and other ailments. It is also known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties and is known to stimulate neuronal growth, synaptogenesis, and neuroplasticity. It is a Schedule III drug and should only be used and administered by a skilled licensed anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or trained physician.”

The side effects of the low dose intravenous ketamine therapy that they provide are minimal and may only last for one hour two. These may include mild drowsiness, increased blood pressure, and nausea. Less common side effects may include agitation or vivid dreams but these can be minimized by regulating the dosage.

Ketamine has been known to be a drug of abuse but when it is administered for anesthesia or for the treatment of chronic pain and depression like they do at Chicago Ketamine Centers, it is considered to be a very safe drug. There is no evidence indicating that IV ketamine at low doses and frequency when used for treating chronic pain will result into an addiction or dependence.

Meanwhile, several randomized clinical trials during the past 15 years have indicated that ketamine infusions can be used for treating depression in addition to chronic neuropathic pain. Using IV ketamine therapy, it is possible for the patient to experience an improvement in their pain or mood after just a few hours after the infusion. Studies have revealed that if an improvement in the pain is felt after the first one to three infusions, the patient is more likely to extend those positive effects with additional infusions provided over the course of several weeks.

Ketamine infusions may also be useful in the treatment of anxiety by boosting the activity of glutamate in the brain. Glutamate serves as one of the messengers of the brain and plays a key role in the controlling moods, including learning and memory. Ketamine may also be applied for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is an anxiety condition where there are recurrent, intrusive, and involuntary thoughts, urges, fears, beliefs, sensations, feelings, doubts, and/or mental images, routines, and rituals.

IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago provides IV ketamine therapy for fibromyalgia, PTSD, TRD, anxiety, OCD, chronic pain, and more. The ketamine center is led by Dr. Bal Nandra, who has almost 20 years of experience in a clinical setting and obtained his training from the University of Chicago Hospitals Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care. The team is composed of registered nurses who are experienced in ketamine infusion and licensed therapists and technicians who work closely with the patient’s mental health professional or primary care physician for continuity of care and to optimize the treatment.

Those who want to know more about IV ketamine therapy for PTSD and other mental health conditions can check out the IV Solution & Ketamine Centers of Chicago website, contact them on the phone or through email, or read their latest media story.