I’m wondering if Will or anyone else had tried this, have friends who have tried it, or have information regarding Ketamine Therapy for serious neuropathy.
I have obviously quoted highlights before which I think are summary points, but the article, and websites show a great variety of information. Ketamine therapy is available in two forms, one of which is via IV, while the other is a nasal solution. It appears the pain based therapy is IV driven, while the nasal sounds a bit more “lax” for lack of a better term.
K-Therapy is also a depression treatment, which shouldn’t be much of a shock to anyone looking at serious nerve damage / spinal cord injury aid as the two issues dance all over each other in body chemicals and treatment methods. On a side note, I don’t think the VA or anyone else has ever found people to be wonderfully happy who are in massive pain. Check out a burn unit or SCI unit if for some reason you have doubts to that.
Ketamine produces strong analgesia in neuropathic pain states, presumably by inhibition of the NMDAR [8,23]. The NMDAR is an excitatory glutamatergic receptor present at spinal and supraspinal sites and involved in the afferent transmission of nociceptive signals. In chronic pain states prolonged nociceptive stimulation causes activation and upregulation of the NMDAR at dorsal horn synapses resulting in enhanced and amplified trafficking of pain signals to the brain (central sensitization). This phenomenon is an important factor in the process of perseverance and eventually chronification of pain. There is now ample evidence that NMDAR antagonists that block the NMDAR, such as ketamine, are able to halt the excessive barrage of nociceptive input to the brain and are therefore potential alternatives to existing treatments of chronic pain syndromes [4,23]. Other effects of ketamine that may contribute to its analgesic behaviour include enhancement of descending inhibition (see below) and anti-inflammatory effects
Ketamine treatment for depression works very differently from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) medications like Zoloft and Lexapro. SSRIs work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain. Ketamine, on the other hand, is believed to repair damage to the brain. Such damage is caused by cortisol and other long-term stress hormones, which build up proteins in the brain over time.
Interesting discussion. I read about Ketamine a lot since my father started suffering from neuropathic pain. I checked many sources, including the Canada Drugs site where I ordered it.
Ketamine really works but the positive effect of its potential pain reduction should be weighed in conjunction with the variety of side effects it may cause. The two most common ones are psychomimetic effects and dissociation. Other side effects of clinical doses include nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, somnolence, and headache. More severe side effects can occur if ketamine is misused, which has been a common occurrence since the emergence of ketamine as a street drug in the 1960s. So, its safety must also be considered.
Speaking about depression, Ketamine has been found to play a role in relieving depressive symptoms. Unlike other antidepressants that require weeks to months of continuous therapy, the effects of Ketamine can be observed hours to days after treatment.
Is the above a cut and paste? Regardless, it should be noted that drug is very old and the general safety profile under clinical conditions very well known and extensive. All drugs have a risk/benefit associated with them, physical risks of that drug under clinical use is very low. People read a long list of possible side effects about X drug and don’t understand risk/benefit and just how rare those possible side effects actually are. On that front, I would not worry about physical side effects for the possible benefits, but then I was one of just a few people doc said he’d seen such a negative experience in decades of use! However, it was not physical in nature.