Ketamine Therapy
Primary Care, Mental Health, and Wellness Group Practice located in West Palm Beach, FL
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Ketamine Therapy services offered in West Palm Beach, FL
Chronic mental health problems and chronic pain conditions are two of the most common and disabling conditions affecting modern Americans. If you’re undergoing treatments for either that isn’t working for you, contact VIP Integrative Healthcare in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Martine Senatus, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, and her team can help. Dr. Senatus is an expert in the use of ketamine infusions for reducing symptoms of chronic pain, depression, and PTSD. Find out more by calling VIP Integrative Healthcare today, or requesting an appointment online.
Ketamine Therapy Q&A
What is ketamine therapy?
Ketamine is a drug that’s been in use for many years as an anesthetic and a painkiller, and it can be especially helpful for patients who have chronic pain conditions. In recent years, ketamine has also shown great promise as a treatment for resistant depression, PTSD, postpartum depression, anxiety and more.
The standard approach to treating people who have severe depression is antidepressant medication combined with talking therapies.
For many people, this can prove highly effective, even if it takes a while to find the antidepressant that works best. However, many other patients don’t respond adequately, so there is a need for a solution that can help people who have treatment-resistant depression.
How does ketamine therapy help with chronic pain?
Ketamine helps with chronic pain by acting as an inhibitor for the NMDA receptors in your nerve cells, and there could be anti-inflammatory effects as well. By inhibiting the chemical reactions in the nerves, ketamine can reduce pain for up to three months in some patients.
There are many causes of chronic pain, and ketamine works particularly well with neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is caused by a dysfunction in the nerves themselves rather than tissue damage, so blocking the pain signals is an effective way to control this type of pain.
Ketamine is also a valid alternative to opioid medication, which can cause problems with addiction and abuse.
How does ketamine therapy help with depression?
Ketamine works, in the same way, to control depression as it does to manage chronic pain, by blocking the NMDA receptors. Existing antidepressant medication works differently, by targeting the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline. This is why ketamine may work for people whose depression doesn’t respond to standard treatment.
Ketamine is also valuable in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), relieving and reducing symptoms including depressive states.
How is ketamine therapy administered?
Ketamine can be administered as an infusion, injection, nasal spray, or troche.
If you have chronic pain, PTSD, or depression that isn’t responding to standard treatment methods, ketamine could be an effective alternative. Call VIP Integrative Health care today to find out more, or book an appointment online.