The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) originally approved ketamine as an anesthetic. It’s increasingly being used for treating mood disorders, such as anxiety disorders, treatment-resistant depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There have been many studies that have found ketamine to be helpful in treating suicidal ideation.
American Integrative Pharmacy (AIP), led by Dr. Neema Yazdanpanah, provides safe and proven compounding medications to patients in Long Beach, Torrance, Los Angeles, South Bay Orange County, Southern California areas, and online nationwide.
How Does Ketamine Work?
Glutamate is an essential chemical messenger in the brain. It plays a vital role in mood regulation, learning, and memory. Glutamate also supports the brain’s ability to change and adapt with every new experience it has. This is also known as neuroplasticity. Researchers believe that ketamine can increase glutamate levels and neuroplasticity capabilities of the brain.
It can essentially rewire the brain for disrupting harmful and problematic thought patterns. The drug can help you form new pathways, which will work towards creating more positive thoughts. These thoughts can in turn relieve the symptoms associated with anxiety.
Efficacy of Ketamine on Anxiety
There is more research about the effects of ketamine on depression as compared to anxiety. A 2021 review concluded that the drug is safe and effective for people with anxiety disorders. Another 2022 review found that single-dose ketamine therapy could help in reducing irritability, panic, and other symptoms related with anxiety in people with social anxiety disorder and GAD.
Higher doses of ketamine were found to be more effective as compared to lower doses for reducing anxiety. Effects lasted for up to 2 weeks as per the 2022 review. 83% participants in another study conducted in 2017 found improved symptoms in just one hour of receiving ketamine treatments. A placebo group was given a saline solution while another group was infused with ketamine.
Patients that received the ketamine infusion reported greater improvements in their symptoms as compared to those that only received the placebo.
Trying Ketamine Therapy
You should start by speaking with a healthcare professional that already manages your anxiety treatments if you are interested in trying out ketamine therapy for anxiety. They may be able to point you in the right direction of a professional specializing in ketamine infusions.
Ketamine IV therapy involves giving a patient careful and measured doses in a healthcare facility. You will typically receive 3 treatments in the first week, 2 in the second, and then 1 treatment every week for 3 more weeks. Each session will take around 90 minutes which includes the observation period.
Traditional antidepressants are slow acting and can take weeks for showing results. Relief from ketamine treatments begins in a few hours. Ketamine therapy is believed to be enough for relieving symptoms completely in some patients. Others find it works better in combination with other medications. Ketamine infusion may be beneficial in patients that tried and failed to find relief with other treatment methods.
AIP provides advanced compounding pharmacy solutions, including online prescription refills to patients in Long Beach, Torrance, Los Angeles, South Bay Orange County, Southern California areas, and online nationwide.
California Pharmacy’s Online Compound Prescriptions
For more information on compound pharmacy medications available or to make an online prescription purchase, please click here or call Toll Free 1-855-247-7948.
American Integrative Pharmacy is located in Torrance, CA serving residents in and around Orange County, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Lomita and surrounding areas. Online prescription sales are available across the US.
