Those who have heard of ketamine might refer to it as the date-rape drug or know of its history of abuse. Although it may have a bad reputation, if used properly, ketamine can be used to manage symptoms of depression and other mental disorders. Back in the 1960s, it was used as anesthesia on the battlefields in the Vietnam war. Today this potent medication can ease both physical and mental pain. However, misuse of ketamine may lead to severe side effects, including blurry vision and convulsions. It is essential to consult with your addiction medicine specialist in Charlotte before using ketamine infusions.
Conditions That Benefit From Ketamine Infusions
Your specialist may recommend ketamine infusion therapy only if you fail to respond to other conventional treatment options. Ketamine may help relieve symptoms of different mental conditions that include:
Anxiety
Occasional worrying is a normal part of life. However, if you have anxiety, you may experience intense and persistent worry or fear about daily situations. These feelings of anxiety are hard to control and affect your social life. You may avoid people, conditions, and places to prevent having these feelings. Anxiety affects people of all ages, from children to adults.
Types of Anxiety
- Separation anxiety disorder affects children who have been separated from parents or with parental roles.
- Social anxiety is characterized by avoidance of social situations due to concerns of being negatively judged by others. You may experience feelings of self-consciousness and embarrassment when around people.
- Selective mutism is failure to speak in certain places such as school. This may affect one’s social and work life.
- Substance-induced anxiety is brought about after misusing drugs or exposure to toxic substances.
- Panic disorder involves recurrent episodes of extreme fear, which heightens very fast.
Anxiety may also be linked to different medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Although anyone may develop anxiety, certain factors put you at risk of this disorder, for example, stress build-up, trauma, drug abuse, and family history of anxiety.
Depression
Depression is a mental disorder that causes you to experience mood disorders such as persistent sadness and loss of interest. Women are at a higher risk to suffer from depression than men.
What Causes Depression?
There is no established cause for depression as the reasons vary from person to person. However, certain factors may increase your chances of falling into depression, for example:
- Personal disputes with close family members, friends, or even coworkers may cause you to experience intense feelings of sadness.
- Medications such as corticosteroids and isotretinoin can increase your risk of depression.
- Victims of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse are at risk of falling into depression.
Treatment for depression is designed to help manage the symptoms. Some of the treatment options include:
- It involves different forms of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, which aims to improve your mental health by challenging and changing cognitive distortions and behaviors.
- Medications such as antidepressants. It is essential to take these drugs as prescribed by your specialist and complete your dosage since some medicines take a while to impact. By stopping the intake of the drugs, you may not experience the benefits.
If you are battling with mental disorders like depression, bipolar, and anxiety, reserve a session with your specialist at Charlotte Ketamine Center for treatment to improve your mental health.