All About Ketamine Infusions: What to Expect

Chronic pain is a frustrating and exhausting condition that’s very hard to get under control. When treatment after treatment has failed to give you proper relief, it may seem like you’ll never get away from the pain. However, IV ketamine infusions are a different form of therapy that may help you finally get the relief you need.

Our team at Delmarva Pain and Spine Center are experts in treating many different kinds of chronic pain. Leading our team is Dr. Shachi Patel, who specializes in pain management treatments like IV ketamine infusions for hard-to-treat pain.

Understanding ketamine

If you’ve ever had surgery or a procedure where you needed sedation, you may have had a medication called ketamine. This medication is a controlled substance that’s often used as an anesthetic to keep you comfortable.

Ketamine has a sedative effect on your body; but unlike other anesthetics, it doesn’t affect your respirations or your blood pressure in a negative way. It also has an amnesia effect, meaning you won’t remember anything about the procedure, including pain.

Your brain is directly affected with ketamine. It works on the NMDA receptors that are located in the brain. It binds to these receptors and increases the amount of a certain neurotransmitter, which is known as glutamate. Ketamine then works by helping your brain make new pathways in your brain, which helps when you suffer from conditions like pain and mental health problems.

What are IV ketamine infusions?

Ketamine infusions are a safe and effective way to get you low doses of ketamine that act immediately on your symptoms. Whether you’re dealing with pain or depression, IV ketamine is a great tool to help you get rid of your symptoms.

For an IV infusion of ketamine, our team inserts an intravenous line into a vein, usually in your arm. Once the IV is in place, you’ll be placed on a heart monitor so Dr. Patel can watch your vital signs as you receive the infusion.

The dose of the ketamine that you receive not only depends on your condition, but other factors as well. Dr. Patel carefully selects a low dose to start, which helps prevent some of the side effects ketamine can have. Once she starts the infusion, it usually takes about an hour.

During your infusion, you’re monitored closely for any adverse effects from the ketamine. Our team keeps an eye on your oxygen level and blood pressure to keep the ketamine from being over-therapeutic.

You’ll feel the effects immediately, because the ketamine is delivered directly to your bloodstream. This means decreased pain and temporary resolution of depression symptoms or suicidal thoughts.

Are IV ketamine infusions for you?

If you happen to suffer from chronic pain that hasn’t responded to other types of treatments, Dr. Patel may recommend IV ketamine therapy. Because of its ability to help ease pain and discomfort, this treatment may be able to help when other types of treatments have failed.

Dr. Patel also recommends IV ketamine infusions if you suffer from severe depression that has also been difficult to treat. If your depression symptoms continue even with medication management and therapy, IV ketamine infusions may be able to help.

Ketamine is a very versatile drug that, under the right conditions and supervision, has the ability to help you get relief when you suffer from any of the following:

• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Migraines
• Cancer pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Neuropathy

Dr. Patel discusses this as an option at your appointment, if other types of treatments haven’t been able to get your pain under control. While ketamine infusions may not completely eliminate your chronic pain, it can help make it much more manageable than before.

If you’re tired of dead-ends when it comes to your chronic pain, don’t hesitate to call our office at 302-355-0900 today. You can also book an appointment with us online today.