Ketamine is a drug most people think of as an anesthetic. Still, it can also be a street drug that causes significant side effects. However, in microdoses, ketamine is a great option for pain management.
At Delmarva Pain and Spine Center, Dr. Shachi Patel and her team offer IV ketamine therapy for conditions like CRPS, neuropathy, and fibromyalgia. When other treatments don't help, IV ketamine therapy could be the answer that provides long-term pain relief.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that providers typically use during surgical procedures. It causes dissociation, detachment from reality, and hallucinations, but also changes how the brain perceives pain and emotions.
In more recent years, ketamine has gained a lot of popularity for other off-label uses, such as treating major depressive disorder and chronic pain issues like CRPS – but how does it work?
Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist, meaning it blocks these receptors. NMDA receptors are involved in memory and synaptic plasticity, which is why they're great for anesthesia.
But it also blocks glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in pain perception and mood regulation. Without glutamate reaching NMDA receptors, the body doesn't sense pain as it normally would, which can help people with chronic pain and CRPS.
Chronic regional pain syndrome is a condition that happens when someone feels intense pain that's not proportionate to the injury or problem. It typically develops after surgery, an injury, or other medical conditions.
The key sign of CRPS is a single affected limb, either an arm or leg. There are two main types. Type 1 occurs without a diagnosed nerve injury, while type 2 happens with a known nerve problem.
Symptoms of CRPS vary from patient to patient, but often include intense pain in one limb. Other key symptoms of CRPS include:
The most significant sign is intense pain in the affected limb. The pain may feel like burning, throbbing, or constant.
We offer ketamine infusions for CPRS when other treatments fail to relieve symptoms. We usually begin with conservative measures like medications, physical therapy, and nerve blocks or injections.
But when you still have CRPS pain that affects daily activities, IV ketamine therapy is extremely helpful. It works by decreasing the brain's pain signals and sensitivity, which is amplified in CRPS.
NMDA receptors are among the main causes of CRPS pain. When they fire, pain becomes extremely intense. IV ketamine blocks glutamate and these receptors from firing, which changes the way your brain senses pain.
Many people get relief after the first infusion, but we want to see a significant improvement within the first week. Some people get several months of benefit from a single infusion. If you get significant relief, we can repeat the infusions every 3 to 6 months while monitoring your health.
To learn more about IV ketamine infusions and CRPS, schedule an appointment with Dr. Patel, call our Newark, Delaware office, or visit our website today.
