Ketamine Infusions for severe Depression

[Freedomatlast24]

The one thing I will say is I'm looking into Ketamine treatments as a last resort, if you at all have the funds, maybe look into it... or have any of you tried it?

 

[needthebus]

I would also be interested in hearing about this.

 

[Felodese]

From a country with universal health care, so it was free. For me it worked great. I felt so much better - and I had really been at rock bottom. BUT the effect was short lived; it started to wear off after about a month and was gone after two months.

 

[crystal_meth97]

I've heard about it and if my depression got worse, I would definitely try it. It's not currently available and it's not going to be available in the near future where I live, but it sounds like a promising treatment and I would give it a shot if I had the chance and if I felt the need. This and microdosing with magic mushrooms or truffles.

 

[author]

I haven't had ketamine myself but from what I've read up on, it seems it's a temporary effect. But a lot of people say that even though the ketamine's effects are technically temporary, it gave them the time and energy to work through the root causes of their depression - meaning it technically can be permanent if you put the work in. It doesn't have to be therapy but like, journaling, self-care, trying not to hate on yourself, etc. You gotta like, rewire your brain while the ketamine is working, and that'll make lasting changes from what it sounds like. It seems less that the ketamine will fix depression permanently, and more like it'll give you a really good chance at making things a lot better for yourself.

That's just what I've heard though, so, grain of salt of course. I personally think it sounds worth a shot, I'm wanting to try it myself but I don't have the means. Even just a chance to fix things would be great for me.

 

[J&L383]

From a country with universal health care, so it was free. For me it worked great. I felt so much better - and I had really been at rock bottom. BUT the effect was short lived; it started to wear off after about a month and was gone after two months.

 

[Freedomatlast24]

From a country with universal health care, so it was free. For me it worked great. I felt so much better - and I had really been at rock bottom. BUT the effect was short lived; it started to wear off after about a month and was gone after two months.

Free?!? Where the hell was this

 

[Felodese]

Free?!? Where the hell was this

Sweden. Yay, socialism, I guess.

 

[Freedomatlast24]

Sweden. Yay, socialism, I guess.

That's INSANE

 

[HighFlight]

I've tried ketamine-assisted psychotherapy last fall, and just started micro-dosing ketamine daily. It's not the US FDA approved use of the drug, nor is the FDA-approved esketamine treatment for depression. (Does Sweden allow for off-label use of medication or unapproved treatment options?) In the US, the approaches I chosen are not covered by insurance.

The ketamine-assisted psychotherapy was an interesting experience, but overall it did not help with my depression. It did boost my overall mood for several days.

This led to trying to micro-dose on a daily basis. It seems to be helping, but still in the early stages.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

I've tried ketamine-assisted psychotherapy last fall, and just started micro-dosing ketamine daily. It's not the US FDA approved use of the drug, nor is the FDA-approved esketamine treatment for depression. (Does Sweden allow for off-label use of medication or unapproved treatment options?) In the US, the approaches I chosen are not covered by insurance.

The ketamine-assisted psychotherapy was an interesting experience, but overall it did not help with my depression. It did boost my overall mood for several days.

This led to trying to micro-dose on a daily basis. It seems to be helping, but still in the early stages.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Could I ask if you experienced any side effects? How was it administered, is it a pill, an injection?

 

[HighFlight]

In both cases, I used a troche, a small, lozenge-shaped tablet that dissolves in the mouth to deliver the ketamine.

For the psychotherapy, we used between 250 and 300mg. I created a thread in Recovery to document my journey. Feel free to look it up.

For daily use, it currently 100mg. H0owever we're still adjusting the dosage. Doctor says that in his experience, it's between 100 and 150mg. Honestly, this seems to be working, and the best way I can describe it is life just feels lighter.

As far as side effects, ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. So far, I haven't had any unexpected side effects. The drug has been around for a pretty long time, so know side effects are well documented. The daily use sometimes creates about a 90 minute window where I'm out of it. I usually watch Netflix during this period and the shows really come to life. Otherwise, I'm tired for a few hours afterwards, which is OK as I just go to bed. Other side effects include increased blood pressure and nausea.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[3/4Dead]

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Also in the US, therapist I'm seeing thinks this may be a good approach for me. Have you noted any mood improvement at all with the microdosing yet? I know you said you're still very early on it, but I still ask because you did psychotherapy before, and said you noticed a mood improvement afterward.

 

[HighFlight]

After the psychotherapy approach last year, I found that I was in a better mood for 4-5 days following the session. This is what led to the microdosing daily.

And yes, I have found an improvement in overall mood and outlook. I don't feel as weighted down with all my troubles, and can actually do things that make me feel better. It's not perfect, and I still can slip back into my old ways. But overall, it's a net positive for me.

 

[HopingOnaMiracle]

I will start ketamine treatment soon. 7 sessions once a week. Any result would be much appreciated since so many things I did didn't work (meds, rtms, therapy).

More people here have experiences to share? How does it feel? What do you do during the treatment?

 

[Jack_Nimble]

In the USA the challenge of access is much less about cost (although you can buy it if you have the cash) and much more about bureaucracy. Ketamine is about $400-$500 per infusion. With infusions about once a month. Maybe a little more or less often.

Ive had several prescriptions for depression that had a price tag of at least double that. If not quadruple. Vraylar for example costs at least $1400 for one month according to goodrx. BUT those even more costly options are highly accessible because they were approved by the FDA for depression and therefore covered by health insurance for a very small co payment of $20-$40.

It's probably a matter of cronyism within the FDA. I've heard they've taken action making it more difficult to get it approved for depression. But after searching I can't find a link with info about that now. Although while searching for that I saw many very recent articles (like 5 or less days ago) about clinical trials for a slow release pill. Taken twice a week at home like any other prescription. So maybe a sort of continuous microdosing option may become available and get approved?

I'm so surprised to see several people call ketamine short acting. Most drugs need to be taken daily. Ketamine is often once a month. That's much longer acting than anything I've ever heard of.