Has anyone here benefitted from ketamine or rTMS?

[wildflowers1996]

I doubt these will help me but I'm just curious

 

[AbsentMindedHuman]

I went through TMS treatment, took almost 3 months. I noticed a slight change in the beginning but that could have just been placebo. It has been 3 months since my last treatment and I feel no better than when I started. I was interested in giving esketamine a try but my psychiatrist didn't even send the referral because you have to have had no hallucinations for a period of time. I have heard better things about esketamine than TMS.

Also in case you don't know. There is 2 versions of ketamine, one is an injection and that is almost never covered by insurance, the other is called esketamine and it is a nasal spray and is usually covered. Hope this helps.

 

[Arahant]

Have tried ketamine in all dose ranges, except coma amounts. Sourced "underground".

It does work temporarily for depression. It's almost eerie how well it can work.
Feels like you were in a horrible traffic accident and got your bones powdered by a steamroller, then you wake up the next day feeling fine, only for it implode and reverse after a few days.

Caveat Emptor: The addictive potential is very real. Especially at low doses.
High doses where you cant remember if you are alive or dead or what existence even means is a bizarre experience I don't care to repeat.

It does have utility, in my opinion.
In the afterglow where the depression is temporarily lifted, a differential diagnosis can be attempted, and plans can be made with a patient.

Some also report complete resolution of depression and/or anxiety simply after one big ass dose.
There are some marvelous podcasts about it on https://www.plantmedicine.org/

 

[LittleMoose]

I've done Spravato treatments, which is the ketamine nasal spray. It helped a lot with my motivation and energy at first. But I think the treatments became too spaced out and stopped working.

 

[spiritualvirgin]

(TW: SA) ketamine didn't help me with my depression i think but it helped me coping with my ptsd, i have because i was sexually assaulted as a young teen. the first few times i took ketamine, i felt so dissconnected to my own body, it was the first time i could feel what it would be like, to be able to leave my bodies past behind ,iykwm. that experience helped me forming a healthier relationship with my body and letting my mind move on. i'm not sure how big the ketamines impact really was, since i was already moving in the "right direction" healing wise, when i started taking it, but in general i can say, it was a helpful experience.

 

[catmanandrobin]

Spravato helped me start to get my life back on track over the couple months I was on treatment, but when my insurance lapsed and I couldn't afford treatment anymore my world fell apart again. I actually looked forward to the treatments too. I would highly recommend ketamine treatment if you can access it.

 

[mellie5]

Hello, quick notes:

1) the cheap ketamine that the insurances like is given intravenously at a regulated speed through a perfusor. The patient's blood pressure is recorded at before and during.

2) the expensive ketamine (nasal spray) is of the Spravato brand

Please do it only in a hospital. Street ketamine comes in unknown dosages, unless you have a perfusor you won't give it slowly over a period of time, and there is a proper dosage for it. At unwise dosages the side-effects (hallucinations, dissociations) ouweight the benefits (if any).

Ymmv, but usually in a hospital it doesn't need a "special form". The nasal one is rarely used because there must be a justification (why not get a needle? any nurse can do that).

It works for depression.

 

[ham and potatoes]

Out of curiosity, what kind of dosses are the medical k doses for depression?
allot of my friends occasionally do it recreationaly, and hey, if it would help my depression, might want to give it a go sometime

 

[DefinitelyReady]

Hello, quick notes:

1) the cheap ketamine that the insurances like is given intravenously at a regulated speed through a perfusor. The patient's blood pressure is recorded at before and during.

2) the expensive ketamine (nasal spray) is of the Spravato brand

Please do it only in a hospital. Street ketamine comes in unknown dosages, unless you have a perfusor you won't give it slowly over a period of time, and there is a proper dosage for it. At unwise dosages the side-effects (hallucinations, dissociations) ouweight the benefits (if any).

Ymmv, but usually in a hospital it doesn't need a "special form". The nasal one is rarely used because there must be a justification (why not get a needle? any nurse can do that).

It works for depression.

Spravato is not ketamine.. it's esketamine, a derivitive. Very different. I've tried Spravato. If I could try ketamine, I would...

 

[scientificmethid]

Ketamine yes. The only benefit that TMS had was the clinic making a shit ton of money off me.

 

[BlackEyedDog]

Ketamine treatment did once turn things around for me, it was one of my lowest mental periods (major depressive) too. It definitely can help but like all recovery requires us to take that boost and make any other changes we can to sustain recovery. Continually taking it doesn't seem to help though, and have heard this from a few people. My depression eventually came back and it no longer 'works'.

 

[LittleJem]

Ketamine yes. The only benefit that TMS had was the clinic making a shit ton of money off me.

Me too: £7000. It worked for me for three days in 30 treatments. Then I got PMT and it didn't work again (in a further 15 treatments).

 

[biasedregret]

Ketamine helped an ex partner of mine dramatically, although the effect was short lived. I think consistent ketamine can be helpful in its racemic variant, although long term use has issues of its own (bladder problems I think).

 

[nonn_ee]

TMS helped a bit while I was doing it, though it had the side effects of making me get angry faster and more, as well as dissociation, so I didn't continue pursuing it.

 

[Innereye]

Have friends that claim they were life-changing.

 

[alienfreak]

Ketamine helped an ex partner of mine dramatically, although the effect was short lived. I think consistent ketamine can be helpful in its racemic variant, although long term use has issues of its own (bladder problems I think).

Some years ago I did research into the bladder risks (actually reading all papers i could find) and as far as i could tell, it only has been observed when people truly abuse it like idiot addicts, i.e. very massive doses daily for a long time