21 May Ketamine Therapy: Is It Better Than Antidepressants?

Psychedelic therapy has been a hot topic for a while now, as study after study is being done on their effectiveness in treating various mental health illnesses. From psilocybin to LSD to MDMA to Ketamine, researchers, scientists, and clinicians around the globe are delving into the world of psychedelic therapy to try and learn how they can help mental health struggles ranging from anxiety to BPD — and many other mood and personality disorders in between.

 

When studying treatment resistant depression, ketamine has become the subject of numerous studies and is currently one of the most popular alternative treatment methods on the market. ie. Currently, there are over 300 Ketamine clinics across the US that are treating patients for mental health issues such as depression and PTSD. But where does Ketamine Therapy lie on the scale for helping depression? Is it just as effective or perhaps even better than regular antidepressants?

 

In this article, we’re going to explore Ketamine Therapy as an alternative to traditional medicine.

 

What is Ketamine Therapy?

In a traditional medical setting, ketamine is used for its anesthetic properties; it is a dissociative anesthetic, meaning that when adequately dosed, patients will experience a trance-like state providing them with dissociation, and relief from depression and pain. 

It was first introduced in the 1960s in Belgium as an anesthetic for animals. In 1970, the FDA approved its use as a general anesthetic for people. Doctors on the front lines of the Vietnam War used it to treat soldiers injured on the battlefield. 

 

Patients given Ketamine don’t need to be put on a ventilator when receiving it, as it doesn’t slow heart rate or breathing. According to WebMD, Ketamine was being used by emergency responders for agitated patients who had just attempted suicide in order to calm them down. In fact, Ketamine can be found in every emergency room or ambulance, and is a top choice in pediatric sedation. After anecdotal experiences began to pile up from patients who’d been given Ketamine following a suicide attempt who stopped feeling suicidal after the administration of Ketamine, doctors began to put two and two together, says Dr. Ken Stewart, an emergency physician. 

 

“Someone is trying to jump off a bridge, and they give him Ketamine in the ambulance to calm him down, and 9 months later, he says, ‘I haven’t felt suicidal for 9 months.’ When enough stories like that started to pile up, doctors said, ‘Maybe there’s something here.’”

 

How Ketamine Affects The Brain and Depression

As mentioned above, Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that mimics a psychedelic substance.This “dissociative experience” is what most people would call a “trip.” Dr. John Krystal, Chief of Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine, says.

 

The reason Ketamine works to fight depression is due to the fact that it targets different receptors in the brain than traditional antidepressants, according to Robert C. Meisner for the Harvard Health Blog.

 

“One likely target for Ketamine is NMDA receptors in the brain. By binding to these receptors, Ketamine appears to increase the amount of a neurotransmitter called glutamate in the spaces between neurons. Glutamate then activates connections in another receptor, called the AMPA receptor. Together, the initial blockade of NMDA receptors and activation of AMPA receptors leads to the release of other molecules that help neurons communicate with each other along new pathways. Known as synaptogenesis, this process likely affects mood, thought patterns, and cognition.”

 

How Antidepressants Affect The Brain and Depression

Antidepressants fall into four different categories: SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), SNRIs (Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), TCAs (Tricyclic antidepressants), and MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors).

 

SSRIs work to treat depression by boosting the levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that transports signals between nerve cells in the brain. 

 

SSRIs inhibit serotonin reuptake (reabsorption) into neurons. This increases the availability of serotonin, which improves message transmission between neurons. The term “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor” refers to the fact that SSRIs only impact serotonin and not other neurotransmitters.

 

SNRIs and TCAs work much the same way as SSRIs, except that they also block the reuptake of norepinephrine along with serotonin, while MAOIs work by removing the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine from the brain through an enzyme called monoamine oxidase.

 

One of the biggest problems with antidepressants is how long they take before the user starts to feel any sort of relief. Weeks or even months can go by before a patient will feel the effects. This is one of the biggest ways in which Ketamine Therapy differs from antidepressants.

 

The Difference Between Ketamine Therapy and Antidepressants

As we stated earlier, Ketamine and traditional antidepressants function by targeting different parts of the brain to treat depression. But that’s not the only difference between the two. 

 

While many patients may find relief from their depression by taking antidepressants, the fact of the matter is, it can take months for those medications to start working, and all the while, sufferers are still dealing with their depression. A lot of the time if they do work, they will usually stop working and can have a lot of harmful side effects Ketamine Therapy, on the other hand, typically finds most clients showing improvement within hours of their first treatment.  

 

Even after months of antidepressant use, studies show that only 10% to 30% of people actually respond to the medication, whereas when people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression receive just one low-dose Ketamine Treatment, 50% to 70% see a significant improvement in their symptoms. Ketamine also has an effect on people suffering from serious depression, bipolar depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

 

While the study of Ketamine Therapy on depression is still in its relative infancy, there is plenty of researched-backed information out there for those who are wondering whether Ketamine Therapy is better than antidepressants.

For more information on how Ketamine Therapy could potentially help you with your treatment-resistant depression, get in contact with MY Self Wellness, and let us assist you on your healing journey. Start your new life today!