Ketamine Infusion

Patients with long-term pain or depression who don’t respond to standard treatments might feel that they have nowhere to turn. If you’re one of them, Mikhail Artamonov, MD, and his team at Amira Integrative Health PC in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, can help. They offer intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions to ease pain and reduce depression when nothing else works. Call Amira Integrative Health PC today or schedule a consultation online to see if you can benefit from ketamine infusions.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is an anesthetic drug used in surgery. It also has two other significant uses: treating major depressive disorder (a psychiatric condition causing extreme sadness and hopelessness) and chronic (long-term) pain.

Ketamine helps patients with treatment-resistant depression — a problem where depression fails to improve with psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. Ketamine also helps with suicidal thoughts and intentions.

People with chronic pain who don’t respond to other treatments can also benefit from ketamine. It can be especially effective for:

• Neuropathic pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Spinal injuries
• Cancer

Research into how ketamine works is ongoing but indicates that the effects result from chemical changes in your brain.

For example, ketamine blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, substances that react to a chemical called glutamate in your brain. Preventing NMDA receptor reactions reduces pain.

What does a ketamine infusion involve?

Ketamine infusions are virtually painless — the only discomfort might come when your doctor inserts the needle into your arm vein. If you’re concerned about needles, you can have a skin-numbing cream applied before your infusion.

Infusions are done in a comfortable, peaceful environment at Amira Integrative Health PC's office. You relax in a specially designed chair while your doctor puts the needle in your vein. The needle connects to an intravenous (IV) bag containing the ketamine solution.

Over 40-60 minutes, the ketamine drips steadily down a slim, flexible tube (cannula) into your bloodstream. Ketamine can have side effects, so the team monitors patients during and after treatment. You might experience lightheadedness, slowed thinking, and confusion, which should soon wear off.

Before you receive a ketamine infusion, your doctor might give you a sedative like midazolam to prevent ketamine from causing hallucinations (seeing/hearing things that aren’t there).

How many ketamine infusions will I need?

Before committing to ketamine infusions, the Amira Integrative Health PC team runs a trial infusion to see if you experience sufficient improvement. Some patients enjoy a fast, often dramatic reduction in their symptoms, indicating that ketamine infusions offer genuine benefits.

You might need up to 10 ketamine infusions to receive the maximum benefit. The effects usually last around three months, but this varies between patients. After your initial course, you might require top-up treatments annually or at intervals that suit your needs.

Call Amira Integrative Health PC today or book an appointment online for further information on ketamine infusions and how they might help your condition.