In this post, we wanted to share with you a question we’ve been asked several times: "What is your opinion on eating/drinking before ketamine infusions?”
No Drinking or Eating For At Least 3 Hours
At our clinic, we typically recommend that someone does not eat or drink for three hours prior to their ketamine treatments. Why? Well, some of the side effects of ketamine is nausea and vomiting.
Ketamine was first synthesized in the 1960’s for use as a general anesthetic. It’s been traditionally used in the operating room and emergency departments for sedation and pain control. Ketamine has a colorful history and is known to be used in veterinary medicine as a “horse tranquilizer” and even a recreational club drug of abuse. However, ketamine is the most common medicine used worldwide for sedation and the World Health Organization (WHO) places ketamine in it’s List of Essential Medicines.
Recently, there has been an upward trend of more ketamine clinics opening up in the United States. Ketamine clinics are on the cutting edge of medicine and represent a paradigm shift in the treatment of depression depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, as well as various forms of chronic pain. Because of ketamine’s history, there may be some confusion about it’s legal status when used “off-label.” To answer it simply, yes, ketamine clinics are legal.
Multiple studies have shown the benefits of using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. Typically, the spacing of the ketamine infusions have been either two or three times per week. However, one recent study published in 2019 in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed that the reduction in depression symptoms were maintained with once-weekly infusions.
Affecting about 37 million Americans, migraine headache attacks can be extremely painful and have a debilitating effect on patients’ lives. Associated with sensitivity to light, sound and smells; nausea; and vomiting, migraines can inhibit patients from going to work or enjoying day-to-day routine.
Those unresponsive to typical migraine treatments may feel particularly discouraged. When first and second-line drugs fail, what is a migraine sufferer to do? Fortunately, ketamine may be the answer!
Ketamine is revolutionizing treatment of pain, depression, and anxiety. However, it is most effective when viewed as a catalyst. It would simply be untrue to tell you that all you need is ketamine. Treatment of mood and pain disorders are complex, and ketamine is one part of the solution. Ketamine can absolutely help you get going in a way no other traditional treatment has done before. So once you receive your ketamine infusions, use this momentum for change! Here are to 5 ways to maximize your progress:
Ketamine infusions are at the frontier of treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and pain disorders. And just like the pioneers of the Wild West, ketamine physicians are also trailblazers. Ketamine infusionists create their protocols based on studies and the responses of their patients to treatment. Since ketamine is still a relatively new treatment, researchers are still investigating the optimal dose and frequency.
