What is Ketamine Used For?

Who can benefit from intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions? This type of therapy may be effective both for patients who are living with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and hard-to-treat chronic pain. If you’ve sought treatment for your mental health or chronic pain condition and haven’t received sufficient symptom relief, ketamine might be right for you.

At VIP Integrative Healthcare, LLC of West Palm Beach, Florida, we’re always looking for new solutions to physical and mental health conditions. That’s why our team, led by Martine Senatus, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, is excited to let you know about the promise of therapeutic ketamine treatment.

Here’s what Dr. Senatus and the integrative health care providers at VIP Integrative Healthcare, LLC want you to know about the therapeutic uses of the drug ketamine, and how you could benefit from this type of drug treatment.

Ketamine for mental health

In some mental health conditions, like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), changes in your brain function and structure leave you struggling with persistent mood-related or mental health symptoms. No matter what you do, these low moods or intrusive thoughts just won’t go away and leave you to live your life in peace.

That’s where ketamine therapy becomes the tool you need for relief and recovery. Ketamine treatment targets your brain, opening up new neural pathways and getting you out of negative mental health cycles. 

And, ketamine targets different parts of your brain than most antidepressant medications, so even if medication management hasn’t worked for you before, ketamine therapy may.

The US FDA approves ketamine as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder, and we’re still learning more about what repeated ketamine treatments can do for your mental health. You can also use ketamine therapy to effectively remedy temporary or situational mental health conditions, such as postpartum depression (PPD).

Ketamine for chronic pain

Since ketamine was historically used as a surgical anesthetic, it makes sense that this drug can also have positive effects for patients with chronic pain conditions.

Not only is ketamine effective as a painkiller, the brain-stimulating effects of ketamine therapy can also help address your underlying chronic pain condition, reducing or even eliminating your symptoms for as long as three months with ongoing repeat treatments.

Using therapeutic ketamine for chronic pain provides you with an alternative to potentially addictive opioid pain medications.

Ketamine inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in your nerves, effectively blocking pain signals. For this reason, ketamine tends to work well for patients with neuropathic pain related to nerve dysfunction. Ketamine treatment may also produce anti-inflammatory effects.

Ketamine infusion therapy

At VIP Integrative Healthcare, LLC, our team provides ketamine infusion therapy in a relaxing, medically supervised treatment space.

During infusion therapy, your provider starts your IV drip, and you rest in comfort while your low-dose ketamine takes effect. Ketamine creates dissociative effects. You may opt to use music, aromatherapy, or other sensory stimulation during your infusion session.

If infusion therapy isn’t right for you, we also offer ketamine treatment via injection, nasal spray, or troche.

To learn more about all the therapeutic uses of ketamine, and to discover if this treatment option could be the chronic pain or mental health treatment solution you’ve been looking for, contact the team at VIP Integrative Healthcare, LLC today. Schedule your initial consultation appointment online or over the phone now.