703-844-0184 | Interview with a Ketamine Physician | Ketamine doctors in Alexandria, Virginia|Ketami
CAll 703-844-0184 for an immediate appointment to evaluate you for a Ketamine infusion:
NOVA Health Recovery : IV Ketamine Therapy in Northern Virginia for depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety
__________________________________________________________________________
Ketamine for Depression: A Q&A with Psychiatrist Alexander Papp, MD By Gabrielle Johnston, MPH | December 21, 2017
Every year, 15 to 20 million persons are diagnosed and treated for depression, making it the most common type of mental illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For roughly 30 percent of these patients, however, standard treatment options, such as antidepressants and talk therapy, are not effective. But for some, there may be a new option: ketamine, a medication originally developed as an anesthetic drug, but now being used to address treatment-resistant depression. Alexander Papp, MD, psychiatrist at UC San Diego Health, discusses the potential of ketamine as a remedy for depression when other treatments fail.
Question: How does ketamine work to reduce depression?
Answer: Ketamine works by quickly increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the frontal cortex of the brain, while also allowing new synapses to form in the same area. The speediness of ketamine in producing an antidepressant effect occurs because this drug bypasses the traditional serotonin route and goes directly to activating glutamate. This is very different from traditional antidepressants, which first increase the activity of serotonin in multiple different areas of the brain, and then ultimately affect glutamate. This process usually takes two to four weeks to take effect, while ketamine yields an almost immediate effect.
Q: What is treatment-resistant depression?
A: Treatment-refractory depression, better known as treatment-resistant depression, is a term used to describe cases of major depressive disorder that do not adequately respond to appropriate courses of at least two antidepressants. In this situation, “responding” to an antidepressant means not only improvement in mood, but experiencing a full disappearance of the majority of the depressive symptoms and a return to normal functioning.
Q: What is ketamine and how is it traditionally used in medicine?
A: Ketamine was originally developed as an anesthetic and an analgesic or pain reliever. Currently, ketamine is approved and labeled by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for both of these uses in the United States.
Q: Are there any adverse effects of ketamine as a treatment? Is this why some consider it to be an “experiential” treatment for depression?
A: As a treatment for depression, ketamine has a few mild adverse effects. These can include a dream-like feeling, blurred or double vision, dizziness, nausea or vomiting and short anxiety reactions after receiving a dose. This treatment is not experimental because this is an FDA-approved drug that is being used for “off-label” or a less common use. An “off-label” use means that it is administered as a treatment that the FDA did not originally approve. The FDA approves medications only for a certain number of uses, but most medications eventually develop off-label uses due to the clinical experience that develops over time. As an example, the drug Prazosin was approved for the treatment of high blood pressure in 1976 but it is now mostly used for the treatment of nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, a use that was not originally approved.
Q: When should a patient ask their doctor about trying ketamine as a treatment for depression?
703-844-0184 | Ketamine infusions in Alexandria, Va 22304 | Mood disorders, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety A: You should speak to your doctor when you have tried several antidepressant medications or combinations of medications, taken at the highest dose levels for at least two months, without a return to normal functioning. In these cases, it is also important to have other medical reasons for depression, such as a hormonal imbalance, ruled out as well.
Q: Apart from ketamine, are there any other treatments for this treatment-resistant depression on the horizon?
A: New studies have been published about administering Botox injections into the frown muscles on the forehead to treat depression. Botox is an FDA-approved drug to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from excessive sweating to muscle spasms to cosmetic uses, but its use to treat depression is another example of off-label use.
There are also a variety of other treatments available for this type of depression. Two of the more common options are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation. Both of these are FDA-approved and are covered by some insurance plans.
___________________________________
If you are interested in Ketamine therapies for depression, PTSD, pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia.......call 703-844-0184.
Zip CODES Served by NOVA Health Recovery:
Maryland (MD): Bethesda 20814 – Bethesda 20816 – Bethesda 20817 – Chevy Chase 20815 – Colesville 20904 – Cabin John 20815 – Glen Echo 20812 – Gaithersburg 20855 – Gaithersburg 20877- Gaithersburg 20878 – Gaithersburg 20879 – Garrett Park 20896 – Kensington 20895 – Montgomery Village 20886 – Olney 20830 – Olney 20832 – Potomac 20854 – Potomac 20859 – Rockville 20850 – Rockville 20852 – Rockville 20853 – Silver Spring 20903 – Silver Spring 20905 – Silver Spring 20906 – Silver Spring 20910 – Takoma Park 20912 – Wheaton 20902 Washington DC: Crestwood 20011- North Capitol Hill 20002 – Cathedral Heights 20016 – American University Park 20016 – Columbia Heights 20010 – Mount Pleasant 20010 – Downtown 20036 – Dupont Circle 20009 – Logan Circle 20005- Adams Morgan 20009 – Chevy Chase 20015 – Georgetown 20007 – Cleveland Park 20008 – Foggy Bottom 20037 – Rock Creek Park – Woodley Park 20008 – Tenleytown 20016 Northern Virginia: McLean 22101- McLean 22102 – McLean 22106 – Great Falls 22066 – Arlington 22201 – Arlington 22202 – Arlington 22203 – Arlington 22205 – Falls Church 22041 – Vienna 22181 – Alexandria 22314 – 22308 -22306 -22305 -22304 Fairfax – 20191 – Reston – 22009 – Springfield – 22152 22015 Lorton 22199 Fairfax, Va 2303 – 22307 – 22306 – 22309 – 22308 22311 – 22310 – 22312 22315 -22003 – 20120 – 22015 – 22027 20121 – 22031 – 20124 22030 – 22033 – 22032 – 22035 – 22039 22041 – 22043 22042 – 22046 – 22044 – 22060 – 22066 20151 – 22079 – 20153 – 22101 22102 – 20171 – 20170 – 22124 – 22151 22150 – 22153 22152 – 20191 – 20190 – 22181- 20192 22180 – 20194 – 22182 Woodbridge – 22191 – 22192 -22193 -22194 – 22195 Springfield – 22150 – 22151 -22152-22153-22154-22155 -22156 – 22157 -22158 -22159 -22160 – 22161 Front Royal 22630
