WHAT CAN BE TREATED WITH KETAMINE?
Conditions that may be treated with ketamine infusions:
Substantial research and clinical results show that ketamine may be effective for:
- Severe depression
- Suicidal ideation
- Severe PTSD
Significant research and clinical results show that ketamine may be effective for:
- Severe anxiety disorders
- Severe bipolar disorder
- Drug addiction rehabilitation
- Neuropathic pain
- CRPS or RSD
- Cancer pain syndromes
- Phantom limb pain
Some research and clinical results show that ketamine may be effective for:
- Fibromyalgia
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Severe OCD
- Post-herpetic neuralgia
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Central pain syndromes related to stroke or trauma
- Chronic migraine headaches
Limited research and clinical results show that ketamine may be effective for:
- Chronic lyme pain
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Spinal cord injury pain
- Multiple sclerosis pain
- Eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating
- Intermittent explosive disorder, for impulsivity and irritability
- Rett syndrome
- Social anxiety disorder
- Autism spectrum disorder, for social and depression symptoms. It may also increase verbalizations and decrease stereotypical and resistant behaviors.
- Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer's disease, for depression and memory loss
- Some forms of hearing loss and tinnitus
Here is more information:
What Can You Treat With Ketamine?
WHAT IS KETAMINE?
Ketamine was developed in 1962 as a safe derivative of PCP. It is a dissociative anesthetic that creates a feeling of disconnection from one’s self and reality.
It has been used widely as an anesthetic in emergency medicine, in veterinary medicine, and in operating rooms and wound clinics around the world on a daily basis. It is often used for the most vulnerable patients, including children and the elderly, because of its safe profile.
Ketamine has been increasingly used for the treatment of pain conditions and mood disorders since around the year 2000.
Here is more information:
WHAT IS AN OFF-LABEL DRUG USE?
The use of ketamine for depression and pain and the use of lidocaine for pain are considered off-label drug uses, which means the drugs have been approved by the FDA but not for the specific conditions which we use these medications to treat. Many drugs are routinely used off-label – it is entirely legal and extremely common.
Here is more information:
Ketamine, FDA Approval, and Off-Label Use of Drugs
IS KETAMINE SAFE?
Ketamine and lidocaine are anesthetic drugs that have been used extensively for anesthesia every day. They have been used safely in millions of patients for many decades.
Ketamine and lidocaine and the adjunct medicines used at Lone Star Infusion PLLC are all considered safe when administered by trained professionals. However, like all medicines, they have the possibility of side effects including, but not limited to: hallucinations, drug reactions, seizures, elevated blood pressures, worsening of schizophrenia symptoms, elevated heart rate, and cardiac arrhythmias.
WILL KETAMINE WORK FOR MY DEPRESSION, ANXIETY & PTSD?
For appropriate conditions ketamine can be an exceptionally effective option, often helping when other treatments have been exhausted.
For depression, including severe and treatment-resistant symptoms, studies show between 50% and 80% of patients receive effective relief of negative symptoms. Data analysis of our own results shows about 70% effectiveness for patients, which we think is impressive both for its high efficacy and for the fact that we treat many patients that do not meet limited criteria of academic studies.
Many patients know whether the treatments are a good option for them after the first infusion. In some cases where a patient is unsure, we suggest proceeding through the 3rd infusion before a decision to continue or stop treatments, as it can be difficult to notice or acknowledge positive changes after years or decades of severe depression.
Doing your own research is an important part of deciding to pursue infusion therapy treatment. This website is not intended as an advertisement, or a guarantee or promise of results. Some patients experience total relief after one infusion, some experience relief after multiple infusions, and it is possible for patients to receive infusions without obtaining any relief. Each individual has their own separate diagnosis and the outcome of their infusion treatment plan may not match the results that are found in the studies or that another patient experiences.
WILL KETAMINE WORK FOR MY PAIN?
Ketamine can work well for neuropathic conditions, even when other treatments do not.
In cases where pain is caused by an active injury or another active factor, ketamine may not be a good treatment option. For instance, ketamine may not be a good treatment option for many instances of back pain caused by active impingement of nerves. In these cases, ketamine infusions may temporarily decrease the pain but the active injury may cause the pain to come back quickly.
Patients who have neuropathic pain are good candidates for ketamine infusions. Pelvic pain may respond very well to the ketamine, however, it can be difficult to know whether you will respond well, until you try a treatment, especially if the reason for the pain is undiagnosed.
All the information that we have from studies and clinical results indicate that ketamine works at the level of neurons – improving their healthy function. If pain is based in the neurons themselves than ketamine can help.
Doing your own research is an important part of deciding to pursue infusion therapy treatment. This website is not intended as an advertisement, or a guarantee or promise of results. Some patients experience total relief after one infusion, some experience relief after multiple infusions, and it is possible for patients to receive infusions without obtaining any relief. Each individual has their own separate diagnosis and the outcome of their infusion treatment plan may not match the results that are found in the studies or that another patient experiences.
HOW MANY INFUSIONS WILL I NEED?
A series of infusions followed by maintenance treatments provides greater and longer-lasting relief – with each subsequent infusion in a series building upon the last.
For the treatment of psychiatric symptoms, we typically start with a series of 6 infusions over several weeks followed by maintenance treatments as needed. Maintenance treatments are typically every 3 to 5 weeks at first.
For chronic pain conditions, we often see patients for one or more four-hour infusions on an as-needed basis. Treatment regimes can vary, but a common course of treatments may be approximately two treatments every six to eight weeks to manage symptoms.
We work with patients to extend the time between treatments when possible.
The number and frequency of treatments are variable from patient to patient.
WHAT IS AN INFUSION LIKE?
On the day of your treatment:
A one-hour infusion for psychiatric symptoms or pain conditions typically requires a total of about 1.5 hours in the office including check-in, the infusion, and the recovery. A treatment of up to four-hours typically requires between 6 and 7 hours in the office before being released to go home.
Most of your regular medications can be continued even on the day of your procedure. You will be asked to not eat or drink in the 6 hours prior to your arrival time at the clinic. You can wear your comfortable street clothes the entire time.
Once you have arrived at our office, our staff works hard to make sure that you are taken care of. We are highly experienced at IV starts and use small-gauge needles. Because we understand how chronic pain can make a patient’s nerves extra sensitive to other painful things like IV start, we can even give sedation before we start IVs, as appropriate.
The infusion will be administered while you are closely monitored. A friend may accompany you, although they should expect to sit quietly and shouldn’t interact with you overly much during the procedure. The room will be quiet and restful.
Immediately following the infusion you will be monitored, usually for at least 30 minutes but for up to 3 hours, or as needed before being allowed to return home. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home and stay with you throughout the next 24 hours during which time you should not be responsible for making decisions, caring for children or driving.
Here is more information:
What is a Ketamine Infusion Like?
WHY IV INFUSION?
Infusion therapy means that the medications are administered through an IV directly into a patient’s bloodstream.
IV Infusion is the most effective administration method for ketamine treatments.
Here is more information:
Ketamine in the Body: Why Ketamine by IV Infusion
WHO ADMINISTERS THE INFUSIONS?
Our treatments are administered by our Anesthesiologist/Anesthetist who meets with the patient, places the IV, administers the infusion including reviewing the continuous monitoring, and releases the patient to leave at the end of the appointment.
WHAT DOES THIS COST?
The price of treatments is dose and time-dependent.
The details of pricing are here:
WHAT GOES INTO THIS COST?
We recognize that moving forward with these treatments represents a significant commitment of time and money. And for many people, the decision to pursue yet another treatment requires a significant commitment.
We work hard to keep prices low for our patients, including working with our patients to balance the competing interests of good results against the time and commitment of the treatments. Meanwhile, we work to practice the best evidence-based medicine as an office-based anesthesia practice.
We believe we offer the best-value treatment option for most patients.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
The next steps are:
- Contact us for more information and scheduling.
- Complete and submit the New Patient Registration Packet.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS!
Please submit any further questions on our Contact Page. Thank you!
